mmm-yoso – Page 352

Santiago Atitlan: Chicken worth 400 steps?

June 9, 2009 mmm-yoso Guatemala, Guatemalan Food, Travel

Before leaving Santiago Atitlan, we decided to grab something to bring back to the hotel with us. You see, our hotel, is pretty isolated, and at night things are locked down pretty tight for the safety of the customers. And we weren't too thrilled with the food at the Hotel, and of course, we weren't staying there for the food anyway.

I mentioned the intense love of "Pollo Frito", fried chicken the locals and tourists alike have for Guatemalan Fried Chicken. And nowhere was it more apparent than in Santiago. There were three fried chicken joints steps from the main intersection in town, two of them right next to each other!

Choosing the "right" Pollo Frito joint was easy for us. Only one shop was doing some major business.

They could hardly keep up with the chicken…only legs for us, no pechuga (breast) por favor….

And there was something else that caught my eye…..

Chicharron en Pollo – fried chicken skin. Of course the Missus bought a dozen tortillas from the stand outside the shop. The Missus and I joked that the pollo frito places in Santiago had Antigua beat hands down. Whereas in Antigua, you bought tortillas picked from a basket, in Santiago, they made the tortillas fresh right outside the chicken joint!

And so the fried chicken started its long journey back to our room. First, from Santiago back to San Pedro. At the top of the hill from the embarcadero, we decided to give ourselves (chicken included) a break. We hadn't checked the Internet in a few days, so we stopped, and went about checking email. To our surprise, we had received a few emails asking us if we had heard about the swine flu outbreak in Mexico. We had been incommunicado for a couple of days, so we hadn't heard anything. We decided to follow-up when we returned to Antigua the following day. We made our way down the hill to the muelle to catch our lancha back to Lomas de Tzununa. It turned out that the captain of our boat, was the one who returned us to our pier the day before. He greeted us with a smile, and said "Lomas de Tzununa muelle"? And the fried chicken began the second leg(no pun intended) of its journey. Returning, the sky started getting dark, and a few sprinkles started falling. Apparently the rainy season was starting, and just as the previous day, the late afternoon would be punctuated with a few thunderstorms. Making a soft docking at the pier, the captain smiled and gave us a big thumbs up as he pulled away.

There was, of course, the 400 steps back up to our room……..

And though the steps were a bit easier this time around, the stairs were still winning the battle. I recall murmuring(more like gasping) to myself, "this chicken better be darn good" about halfway up the stairs. I don't think too much sweat fell on the precious chicken……

So was this worth the effort?

Even with the understanding that the chicken probably tasted better because of the effort, I'd say unequivocally, yes! The flavor was a bit different from Pollo Campero, there was almost a mild curry flavor hiding in the background. The skin was not as good in flavor as Pollo Campero, but the flesh was. The flesh was not as tasty as the chicken from Comedor Elenita, but it was a close second. Taking this into consideration, this chicken came out as the best overall on our trip.

As good as that chicken was, the fried chicken skin was even better.

These were fantastic! Amazingly crisp and light. Though I enjoyed the flavor of the fried chicken skin in Thailand, there was a gummy-ness to them, and also an aftertaste that reminded you of where the skin came from. These were just plain crack-tastic!

The Missus also had a few granadilla (golden passionfruit) which were a bit on the watery side.

Man this was good….as was watching the "fireflies" at night.

We awoke the next morning having had our fill of peace and quiet. It was time to move on. We were on our way back to Antigua, then Flores and Tikal.

Thai Pepper Cuisine

June 8, 2009 mmm-yoso Thai Restaurants

Now here's a place that without a heads-up from "FOYs" Farrah and Trent, I'd have totally missed altogether. Thai Pepper Cuisine is located in Serra Mesa on Sandrock, across from the strip mall that has been sorta depressed since Henry's left a few years back. I believe that a restaurant called "The Three Chefs" or something like that used to occupy this space.

On my first visit to Thai Pepper, I was accompanied by some great FOYs (Friends of Yoso). It's not very often that I get to share a table with a Zompus and a Paparatti, so Iwas indeed honored!

The menu is what you'd expect from a neighborhood Thai restaurants, sections of "choose your protein, choose your sauce", various curries, and similar items make up the offerings. This is not a bad thing, if done well, those dishes are wonderful. The interior of the restaurant is small with maybe ten tables. I found the chairs to be interesting; I swear that they are those ergonomic, office chairs that wouldn't look out of place in the average conference room.

Our Server for the evening was an adorable woman named Oy, friendly, and gracious to a fault, She projected that gentle demeanor we found during our trip to Thailand and Laos.

We started with one of those "basic" items, the Som Tum, Papaya Salad ($6.95):

This was fairly average, a bit on the overly sweet side. It was put together well, but lacked the wonderful savory flavor some salted blue crab, or even dried shrimp.

The Spicy Fried Rice with Beef ($7.95), even though lacking in heat was good, with a nice dose of fish sauce. It was just a hair from being very good. Though the rice had some nice caramelization, it was a bit too mushy. The beef was adequately tender, and this dish wasn't overly sweet.

The exotic sounding Wild Boar Curry ($8.95) was the only dish I wasn't too fond of.

This was slices of very dry and tough pork in a very mild curry. I also started realizing that this place loves white mushrooms……

Another of my go-to Thai dishes is Pad See Ew (with shrimp – $9.95).

Personally, I find this simple noodle dish to be a great test of a cooks skill. Temperature control, along with balancing the salty and sweet flavors is very difficult. Though there was no "wok hey" (burnt does not equal wok hey), the overall flavor was nicely balanced, and the noodles were cooked well, though not all the noodles were flavored. Not bad.

And I'm sure the wonderful company of Mr & Mrs Zompus added to the meal as well.

A week later, I dropped by Thai Pepper for another meal. This time, I decided to try the Yum Nua, the Beef Salad ($8.95):

Based on my previous visit, I ordered this "Thai spicy", but of course, it was not served that way. I was pleasantly surprised to find ground rice powder, even though it was ground a bit too coarse, was used to add a mild nuttiness to the proceedings. In direct contrast to what I had encountered in previous dishes this was really fish sauce heavy, borderline salty, and lacked balance, but it was not boring in the least(more white mushrooms?). The beef was tender, and this went well with jasmine rice.

I also ordered a dish I was eyeing on my last visit, the Homestyle Duck ($14.95):

There was nothing "homestyle" about this well prepared dish. Duck breast, flavored with hoisin and other spices, had been deep fried, and much of the subcutaneous fat had rendered off. The skin was crisp, the portion below the skin like great duck jerky, and the meat soft and moist.

The duck rested on a bed baby corn, mushrooms(yet again), and broccoli in a brown, mildy tamarind and ginger flavored brown sauce…an after-thought in my book. I took most of this dish home, and the Missus thought it to be pretty darn good.

During dinner I had a chance to chat with Oy, and the nice folks here. It appears that even though I had ordered my Yum Nua Thai Spicy, they noted that I wasn't Thai or Lao, so they held back! After talking to them about food, and various dishes, I think I convinced them to actually make my food spicy on my next visit, which may not be too far down the road.

Thai Peppers is a really nice restaurant of what I call the "neighborhood Thai" category. The service is friendly, and the food is pretty easy to take. Nothing really exotic, the menu sticks to the tried and true, Bangkok/Royal Thai model. The prices are reasonable as well. The turnover of businesses in the area makes me depressed, so I'm hoping that Thai Peppers changes that trend. Every neighborhood should have a nice place like this.

Thai Pepper Cuisine
3361 Sandrock Road
San Diego, CA 92123

Thanks Farrah and Trent

One last thing:

I usually don't post on various links and such, but I was just tickled when Caroline Russock, who does the Cook the Book post for the one and only Serious Eats mentioned us. I was flattered to be sure. But I was also puzzled when the first person to comment said this:

"I'm disappointed to hear you thought mmm-yoso! was your saving grace for San Diego! All I found on that site was mostly a bunch of fast food Hawaiian and "Asian" restaurants that make Panda Express look good."

Egad! I haven't felt so puzzled since the time a fellow food blogger told me, "I know why you post so often….it's because you have such a big ego that needs to be fed". Yeow….I think I'll leave now, and try not to trip over my ego!

A & D Hawaiian BBQ – National City

June 7, 2009 mmm-yoso Chicken Wings, Local Kine Stuffs in San Diego, Loco Mocos, Plate Lunch

**** A&D has closed

Well, there I was in Grove Plaza Center with the intent of grabbing a bite at Karihan. Unfortunately, there was no Kare-Kare on this morning, and for some reason, all of the food looked like it had been "sitting around" for quite a while….at 11am in the morning. So I decided to head next door to A&D Hawaiian BBQ.

I've been kinda down on the whole Hawaiian BBQ thing………most of it seems to be a bunch of folks who could care less about what they plop on a plate, who are just looking to make some $$$ (replacing Spam with Treet – heresy I say!). And frankly, after looking over the menu at A&D, full of the usual suspects, I wasn't particularly moved. But it had been so long since I've had even a borderline terrible Lau Lau, that I was willing to sell my soul, and drop my standards. Luckily, or perhaps unluckily, there was no Lau Lau, only Kalua Pork available.

So I made an adjustment, and placed my order, and waited. Meanwhile, I gazed upon the borderline neon green walls. During my wait, the very nice Woman manning the counter was constantly cleaning. Now A&D isn't the most visually pleasing little place, the tables have various names, initials, and other verbiage carved into them, and it does look a bit aged for a place that's only been in this location for a year, but man this woman was really cleaning……

Unable to make a decision, I had ordered the ubiquitous "BBQ Mix" ($7.29). The nice lady brought the styrofoam container over to my table, and when I grabbed it, it felt like it must've weighed two pounds…..

And everything was hot…so hot that it steamed up my camera lens, and I had to wait for a minute or two to take photos. As with all these BBQ Mix plates, all the regulars were in attendance. The BBQ Short Ribs…please don't call them Kalbi….they are about as close to Kalbi as I am to Brad Pitt. That said, these were not bad, not as tough as the usual cross cut short ribs are, the marinade is not as sweet as many, which is fine with me.

The BBQ Beef was well marinated, pulling toward more of a ginger-shoyu flavor. It was also fairly tender, and without the usual "sugi", which is what we call nylon fishing line back home, the usual tough, and inedible tendon that is usually found.

The BBQ chicken looked on the light side, but was pretty tender. The norm would be chicken that had been marinated, pre-cooked, dumped back into a steam tray with marinade, and reheated before serving, making it really tough. I really got the feeling, based on the wait time, and how hot everything was, that these folks cook their stuff to order.

I really liked the Mac Salad, it was nice and cold, with a perfect amount of mayo, and some salt for a change. The rice was a bit hard and dry, though.

There was one more item that I had to order. On the door is a sign. That sign says "6 Piece Chicken Wing Special – $1.99". Yes, it seems that A&D is in the Salt and Pepper Chicken wing business.

The batter on these is light, and crisp, and the chicken is juicy, but it does not hold up well, and lacks the "crack-like" addictive flavor.

This way too much food for me, so I took half of it home. What I thought was interesting, was that the Missus had pretty much the same opinion. And I didn't even tell Her what I thought of the food. They say after you've been married for a while……….

A few weeks later, I was in the area, and decided to drop by A&D again. This time I paid a bit more heed to the menu, and had to chuckle at the "Healthy Meals" portion. since when is Chicken Katsu or Crispy Shrimp, considered healthy? Perhaps they mean a "healthy appetite"?

Being the predictable person I am, I of course ordered:

Yes, a Loco Moco ($6.99). I readily admit that I have a thing about the two easy over eggs, hamburger patties, gravy, over rice. It is something that I long for on a visceral level. So how does this rate on the modified "Rubio Scale", created by James Rubio of Big Island Grinds. For those not familiar with the scale, you can check out my post from waaaaay back in 2005. And in case you're wondering, why the Big Island? It is believed that the Loco Moco was created on the Big Island circa 1949. Sorry to say that I wasn't able to sample the Loco from the Lincoln Grill, but the Missus and I have had more than our share from Cafe100.

So moving right along…….

#1 – The Burger – Pure and simple pre-formed. Tough. – 2.0 points

#2 Eggs – A bite overcooked for me. But worse of all, they didn't clean the griddle before frying the eggs. Too many black, "mystery bits". – 1.0 points

#3 Rice – Perfectly cooked this time. – 3.0 points

#4 Gravy – Wow, really salty….really, really, salty. I've hardly ever left gravy to sit and congeal, but had to this time. – 1.0 points.

#5 Stuffs – In this case the Macaroni Salad, which wasn't as good as my previous visit, but still pretty good. – 3.0 points.

For a total of 13.0 points, which ranks it as being fairly mediocre, even by Hawaiian BBQ standards.

Overall, A&D serves up standard Hawaiian BBQ fare. I felt that with regards to the BBQ, you get a pretty hefty size portion of food, which was pretty good. There are also $4.99 specials such as Chicken Katsu. The service was, at least for me, a notch above the standard indifferent service at most of these places.

A&D Hawaiian BBQ
Grove Plaza Center
2220 Plaza Blvd
National City, CA 91950

Open Daily – 11am – 9pm

Sang Dao – A revisit (sort of)

June 4, 2009 mmm-yoso Lao Restaurants, Thai Restaurants

On May first, Sang Dao opened in new digs on the corner of 54th and El Cajon Boulevard. A week later, I decided to check them out. It had been a while, but now since they've a bit (just a bit) closer, I really had no excuse.

Though located next to one of the "check cashing" places, the interior of the "new digs" is much different from the Sang Dao I knew on National Avenue! Bright and shiny like a new penny…..

And since my post back in 2005, I think I've learned a little bit about Lao cuisine.

The menu at this new location, looks the same, though I decided to stray a bit, and started asking about a few items. I think it's unfortunate that dishes like Or Lam, Mok Pa, and Kaeng Nor Mai Som aren't represented on the menu. In speaking to one of the young men, I was told that items such as those would not sell, though they make them for their own family meals at home. There are a few items that aren't on the menu, one which is the Raw Beef Larb:

Though you'll often hear folks say that "Issan Food is the same as Lao Food"(though often said by folks with a political agenda), and I do believe that in general, the differentiation is one of borders, not cuisine, I do note differences. And one of the dishes where this is reflected is in the Raw Beef Larb. There's an interesting Lao saying that you'll see everywhere on the Internet, something along the lines of "sweet makes you dizzy, but bitter makes you healthy". Funny thing was, I was told just about the same thing at my cooking class in Luang Prabang. In those restaurants where you find the cook/chef is from Issan (Northeast Thailand), such as Sab E Lee, you'll find the Raw Beef Larb to be more citrusy, the dish a bit lighter.Here at Sang Dao, it is full on Lao, except in heat, I think that even though I ordered this spicy, they took it easy on me. First, was the inclusion of offal, which added an earthiness to the dish. Second, was the addition of a good amount of beef bile, which adds, at least to me, a nice bitterness to the dish. Sab E Lee and Lotus of Siam, will add it to your dish, but not in large amounts.

For me, the addition of those notes made this dish much more substantial, and along with the required sticky rice, it can be treated like a proper entree of sorts.

As I was taught in Laos, no meal is complete without a soup, which is not to be treated as a soup in Western terms, that is, as a "starter", but to be eaten along with the meal. I really didn't feel like having the recommended Tom Kroung Nai, Intestine Soup, so I went with the other recommendation, the "Jungle Curry':

A curry without coconut milk is termed a "jungle curry", though this was more of a soup. It was pleasant, and I enjoyed the eggplant and other veggies in the soup. Not overly rich, this was a nice foil to the larb. It tasted like a nice "homestyle" soup. I brought the remainder home, and though She declared it to be weak in the heat department the Missus enjoyed it.

If you visit Sang Dao, remember to spend a minute or two at the take-out counter, you'll find a good selection of Jeow (Dips). I think one of these days, I pick up a variety, along with some sticky rice. On this day, I bought the Naem Khao from the take-out counter. This may look a bit different from say, the version at Asia Cafe.

The dish is sold deconstructed, though they'll mix it for you if you want. The Missus said this was good, though She still prefers the version from Asia Cafe.

Even though the location of Sang Dao has changed, the food has not, many of the dishes are distinctly country-homestyle. And in case you're not in the mood for Raw Beef Larb, or Intestine Soup, many of the Curries and other dishes are quite good. Ed from Yuma, Howie, and I had the pleasure of sharing a meal at Sang Dao with Candice Woo, some of which is included in Her article, so please check it out.

Sang Dao Restaurant
5421 El Cajon Blvd
San Diego, CA 92115
(619) 263-0914

Robataya Oton – A first look

June 2, 2009 mmm-yoso Japanese Restaurants

I'd been following the opening of Oton fairly closely, and when FOY "Fred" emailed me informing me of the opening, the Missus and I made plans to drop by.

I really enjoy the "atmosphere" and set-up of Okan, what I'd usually call Oton's "sister" restaurant, but since Okan means "Mom"and Oton means "Dad", I guess we'll need to call it Okan's "spousal" restaurant? Part of the curiousity for us is what the Restaurant's Ownership/Management/design team would come up with. And I must say, they've done a nice job. From the stylish ingredient display, and "bar":

To the rustic Nabe ("hot pot") rooms. The restaurant is perhaps a bit claustrophobic for Western tastes.

Even though "Robataya" is prominently featured in the name, I was more interested in the the Nabe. Unfortunately, all the booths were booked solid. My first impulse was to return on another day, but the Missus was curious, and we decided to sit at the stylish bar, and have dinner. The menu was a smattering of items, including fried courses, sashimi, and of course Robatayaki. I saw several items on the menu I was interested in, and was read a list of daily specials. Again, unfortunately for us, they were out of several items and ingredients, such as Kamo (duck) and Kushikate.

We started with some Ankimo with ponzu.

This Ankimo was high on the "fishy" end of the taste spectrum. Not a bad thing, as the ponzu and the memji oroshi (grated daikon with red chili) muted the fishy flavors, and cut the richness. I've had worse.

Grilled corn was one of the specials:

The corn was nice and sweet, though the Missus wanted a nice brushing of Tare (sauce) like She had at Raku. At this point,I knew that comparisons with our meals at Raku were inevitable. I think that based on price point (Oton is a bit more expensive) it's hard not to compare. But then, Raku was a James Beard nominated aburiya and robotayaki, and this was Oton.

I wanted to try the Shiokara (fermented squid). This was the smallest dish of Shiokara I've ever had.

Flavorwise, the Shiokara was very mild and tame, the toughness of the strips of squid, along with the absence of the bitterness from the liver and innards of the squid, made me think that perhaps this hadn't been "fermented" long enough. It was no where near as deep in flavor as the version at Izakaya Sakura. It didn't help that the Missus bit down on a piece of the quill bone. If anything, if fermented long enough, this would make for a good "beginner's" Shiokara.

Next up, the Gyutan (grilled beef tongue):

The marinade was decent, and the tongue was cut to a decent thickness for grilling. I'd have preferred more of a "char" on the slices making it crisp on the edges. I didn't catch a hint of Binchōtan, which was a pity. The wonderful smoky flavor Binchōtan adds to whatever it "breaths" on and takes it to another level. I recall the scent of Bincho at Okan, why not here? Or was it that this just wasn't grilled long enough?

Next up, the best dish of the night, the Shishamo Tempura.

In what was possibly the "cutest" moment of the evening, when I ordered this, the young lady proceeded to explain to me what what Shishamo was. After a few seconds, I mentioned that I knew that Shishamo was smelt, and that I've had it many times, which gave her pause, a very short pause, at which time she completed her explanation. She was going to get that description in no matter what!

The Shishamo were fried in a light crisp batter, and wrapped in nori. Crisp, light, and wonderful.

My "go to" item at Yakitori-ya and Robatayaki-ya, Kawa (chicken skin):

What I call "crack on a stick". The portion near the top and in the middle of the skewer were grilled perfectly. The portion at the bottom, which was much too large, was barely grilled, and therefore rubbery. I think this is an illustration of what made our meal a bit frustrating. The decor is very nice, with attention to detail, detail which seems to be lacking with regards to the food we were served.

The Missus wanted to try the Saikyo Miso Black Cod.

The Missus eats this sometimes two to three times a month, and just by looking at this when it arrived, we knew this wasn't going to be very good. First, it didn't look like, nor did it taste like it had been marinated-cured-steeped, or whatever you call it long enough. There wasn't enough of the miso flavor. It also was not broiled long enough, there was very little caramelization. The middle of the slice of fish was barely lukewarm, which would be ok if this landed in a bento, provided it had been cooked through, but not in this situation. The Hajikami Ginger was a nice touch, which again outlined our frustration……attention to detail to everything but the food. As a point of measure, try the Saikyo Miso Black Cod at Sakura. In a traditional Robatayaki-ya, folks sit around a counter much like this, and items are grilled in front of you……lukewarm food is a no-no.

At this point we decided to call it a night and return some other time. Our bill came out to a shade over forty bucks.

We loved the decor, the service was maybe a bit too attentive, but was to be expected since this is a newly opened restaurant. The young folks working here are friendly, helpful, and very nice overall. We also noticed that at least one of the employees was a holdover from Osaka Kitchen which we thought was nice. It appears that they are trying very hard, but this wasn't a very satisfying meal. Of course, Oton just opened, so this may be straightened out in the future. Plus, I haven't tried the Nabe yet….but this is a Robatayaki-ya……. I'm hoping my future visit(s) are a bit more satisfying. Oh, and make reservations for the Nabe rooms.

Robataya Oton
5447 Kearny Villa Road
San Diego, CA 92123
858-277-3989

Fat Tony’s Pizza

May 31, 2009 mmm-yoso Pizza

**** Fat Tony's is now Tony's

At the end of March I received an email telling me about a new pizza shop opening in Clairemont. I glaced through it, but didn't really take note, for two reasons; first, I didn't know the sender, second the sender's "name" was "Tony", and the name of the shop was Fat Tony's. Just the way the email went, and the fact that I never got a response from the sender, sent instant S-H-I-L-L alarms. Those folks who have blogs will understand what I mean. In this case however, I was mistaken. After returning home from Guatemala, during my bi-weekly check of Chowhound, I read this thread, which instantly got my attention. Maybe "Tony" knew a thing or two.

In fact, I really had no reason not to check out Fat Tony's. The location on Diane Avenue, is right next to Ba Ren!

I love this sign…….you know who the gang at Fat Tony's is taking a shot at, don't you?

The interior is spotless, though pretty generic, with two plasma televisions going.

There's a refrigerator with the usual suspects, and four beers on tap.

From what I read on the CH post, it sounded like the thinner crust option was the way to go. So I went with the Tomato Garlic with Fresh Mozzarella ($18.00). I noticed that this pizza was cooked in a pan. Anthony, the really friendly namesake of the place, was nice and friendly, and apologized for the "pizza taking a bit longer because of the way we make it". Which really didn't seem that long!

Here's a view of the pizza that hit the table at home:

I enjoyed this pizza a bit more than the Missus, who thought it bland, and saying that the crust was indeed thin, but too much like a brittle cracker. The mozzarella added a nice mild semi-milky flavor to the pie, though I thought that more flavor could have been extracted from the tomato by roasting a bit longer. Of course, I'm not the pizza pro, and doing that may have been detrimental to the rest of the pie. Being a garlic head, I could have used a bit more garlic.

At this point, I realized I had it all wrong. I needed to start at the beginning, with the basics, just like I usually do with NY style pizza.

I returned recently, and decided to just get two cheese slices and a soda, which is priced right at 5 bucks. When my slices arrived, I took a good look at it. The first thing I noticed was that these weren't quite as greasy as those from Bronx. And though a friend of mine from "Jersey" tells me, "it ain't New Yauk style unless the oil is dripping down your arms", I thought this a good thing.

The pizza was well cheesed, which didn't overpower the pie.

I did find this crust to still be a bit too brittle. It snapped in half when I attempted "the fold". Personally, I enjoy a bit of pull (not sog, there's a difference) in my crust.

I found the sauce to be very mild. I enjoy a bit of tang, though the oregano flavor came through, it was the only thing that made this sauce distinctive. I tend toward the sauce at Luigi's…..mild spice, tanginess, and some sweetness.

Overall, I thought it to be a decent pie. It was nothing I'd really go out of my way for, but it is a great addition to the area.

I was recently having a conversation with a good FOY, when the subject of Fat Tony's came up. This FOY thought the pizza to be okay, but really didn't care for the crust, which made sense since he was a fan of Hoboken Pizza in Pacific Beach. However, when I asked the question, "name one pizza shop in the area that's better" he couldn't come up with a single one (though I used to like La Trattoria Firenze's sauce). Which in the end makes a great point. The sign in the front of Fat Tony's say "Your Neighborhood Pizzeria", which it does very well!

Fat Tony's Pizza
4973 Diane Avenue
San Diego, CA 92117
858-268-7700

Open 11am – 930 pm Daily

For more pizza insanity, please read Howie's San Diego NY Style Pizza Showdown!

From the wouldn't you know it department. On my post on Big Fish Sea Grill, I mentioned how things around the intersection of Diane Avenue and Clairemont Mesa Boulevard are looking up. Wouldn't you know that the very next day, I read about this happening at that very intersection! Geeez…… Even more funny, when I mentioned this to Cathy, her response was, "at least they weren't using guns!" Huh? So I go home, and mention this to the Missus. Her response? "Hey, could be worse, they could have guns!" Okay……I guess I really don't get it.
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Jeonbokjuk – Abalone Porridge

May 30, 2009 mmm-yoso Cooking, Recipes

After being married for a while, you kind of develop a sixth sense when talking to your spouse. When you take a step back, and take time to think about it, sometimes it just doesn't make sense. I can understand deciphering that when the Missus said "Leo-hay-mans" She means Loehmann's, and of course there are times when I (thankfully) have no clue. But often, things just kinda click. Like when the Missus told me, out of the blue, "I want the porridge………" I don't know how I knew She was referring to Jeonbokjuk, but I just knew. It must have been fate, live abalone was on sale at Zion Market for $4.99 each.

I once asked someone how to make this, and was given the basic outline of a recipe. I also checked online, and one of my cookbooks. The recipe you see below is a mish-mash of what I gleaned. Like many recipes, there are more than few variations on the recipe. I'll list some of them in case your thinking about making this. Some recipes include chopped carrots, in the basic recipe I was given, I was told to blend the soaked rice with 5 cups of water for 10 seconds to "break the rice". One variation of Jeonbokjuk is green in color and includes the abalone innards. What's with the fish sauce, etc? I was kinda wondering the same thing when I saw the inclusion of fish sauce in a few of the recipes online. But after tasting the porridge, I knew. Farm raised Abalone, like the type I purchased is pretty mild in flavor, and need just a bit of "help". The meat has good flavor, but it just didn't impart enough of it to the porridge. Instead of fish sauce, I added a teaspoon of Dashi-no-moto to the porridge at the end. I know this is akin to adding MSG to a dish, but it really added a nice umami to the dish. If I had White Tamari, I would have tried that instead. I also used a good quality Sesame Oil, and would suggest putting that ubiquitous bottle of Kagoya away for this. Remember to scrub the abalone well, to remove all the black pigment and slimy "stuff".

Jeonbokjuk

1 – 1 1/2 Cup Fresh Abalone(approx 2) washed, cleaned, and diced
2 Cups Short Grain Rice
7 Cups water
2-3 Tb Sesame Oil
1/2 Tsp Sea Salt
3 cloves garlic minced

Fish Sauce, White Tamari, or Hondashi (optional)

Nori cut into thin strips
Scallions, green part only sliced

– Place rice in a bowl and cover with 3-4 cups water, and soak for 30 minutes.
– Drain rice in a colander
– In a pot or wok, heat sesame oil over medium-low heat. Saute garlic and abalone for about a minute.
– Add drained rice and mix with abalone for a minute or two.
– Add water, and turn heat to high, stirring occasionally.
– Bring porridge to a boil, uncovered for about 5 minutes, or until the porridge starts to thicken.
– Turn heat to low, cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the desired thickness is reached. About 15 to 30 minutes.
– Taste the porridge, and add sea salt, and other flavorings if desired.
– Serve topped with Nori Strips and scallions.

It's a nice luxurious dish…..

Of course one doesn't live on Jeonbokjuk alone, do they?

Santiago Atitlan and some Ceviche

May 29, 2009 mmm-yoso Guatemala, Guatemalan Food, Latin American Cuisine, Travel

Early during our first morning on Lake Atitlan, the Missus was looking out from the balcony and decided on what She wanted to do.

Looking off to the left, She turned and said, "let's head to Santiago". At first we were going to head down the 400 steps to the Lomas de Tzununa pier, but in the end we decided to head out of the side gate and walk to the village of La Tzununa, and the pier there.

The downhill walk, and the cooler morning air made this 1 kilometer walk pleasant.

Walking down the hill we passed many of the young men and women who work at the hotel walking up the hill. We could just imagine having to make that walk everyday, rain or shine, in the summer heat! Everyone we passed gave us a pleasant "Buenos Dias". We passed two gentlemen, and asked directions to "La Tzununa muelle"…….after giving us directions, one of the gentlemen asked us, "Ha-pon-nese?" I pointed to myself, and told him "si, Ha-pon-nese"….I pointed at the Missus and said, "Chee-na….uno, uno". Which for some reason cracked him up…..

Following their instructions we found our way to La Tzununa pier, and soaked up the morning sun while waiting for what the gentleman called the "barco blanco"…..

And wouldn't you know it, the first boat of the day was a "white boat".

A short 10 minutes later we arrived at the San Pedro pier. To get to the boats headed to Santiago we had to walk to the pier to the Southeast of town, about a kilometer away. Not a far walk, but there's a "little" hill between the piers. The street is lined with all the gift shops, tourist restaurants, and hotels.

They don't tell you about the "little hill" in the guidebooks. Lucky for us, there was a strategically placed orange juice stand right at the top of the hill.

Ahhh, "Jugo de Naranja"……the pause that refreshes. Freshly squeezed, and the woman running the stand even filtered out the pulp (3 Quetzal – 45 cents):

Kinda sour, but it sure woke me up. From that point on, it was all down hill, literally.

While waiting for our boat to leave, another large boat arrived. It was packed with passengers….

And a ton of cargo…….

All of it was unloaded manually. This guy made at least five trips up and down the pier.

Arriving at Santiago Atitlan, we walked up the dock, past the craft stands and into Santiago. It turned out to be market day.

We were told by more than a few folks that Santiago Atitlan is considered the captial of the Tz'utujil MayanNation. In Santiago, folks still wear the traditional "Traje" (dress) with pride. The men still wear "calzoncillos" (short pants).

I'm guessing that these pants are very practical for folk who live around the water.

The women wear a colorful "Huipil" sometimes with wonderful embroidery, often featuring birds and flowers. You can read even more about the traditional dress here.

Out first stop was the Catholic Church.

If you walk up these stairs, and quietly take a seat inside, you'll notice a monument to the right rear of the church.

Father Stanley Rother was a priest who was assigned to the mission of Santiago Atitlan in 1968. The late 70's through the 80's were turbulent times for Central America, and Santiago was not spared. Because of his work, Father Rother's name appeared on the list of the "Death Squad". Upon hearing that his name appeared on this list, the Parish staff urged Rother to return to his home of Oklahoma City, which he did. Only to ask for permission to, and return to Santiago a few months later. On July 28th, 1981, he was killed in the rectory of the church by gunmen. Father Rother was flown back and buried in his home town in Oklahoma, however, at the request of his parishioners in Atitlan, his heart was brought back to Santiago Stitlan and buried under the floor of the church. This was not the end as things eventually reached a critical mass on the morning of December 2nd, 1990, you can follow the link, or read even more about it here.

Escaping from the persistent kids outside the church, we made our way back to the main intersection. I noticed groups of women walking up the stairs of one of the corner buildings. Our curiosity piqued the Missus and I walked up the stairs to find a pretty active market area.

The items I found the most interesting were the freshwater crabs, with the legs wrapped in strips of leaves to keep them from walking away.

This, of course, left me hungry. The Missus and I walked around a bit trying to decide were to eat. I finally decided based on one of my main eating rules; "when in doubt, eat where the police eat." And in this case, it was a tiny, very clean looking Cevicheria. We sat at one of the three tiny tables, on plastic stools, Vietnam style. Two police, or maybe security officers with shotguns were having an early lunch at on of the other tables. One of the officers was of particular interest to me, he had two bandoliers of shotgun shells criss-crossing his torso, just like the movies!

This was a two man operation with one doing the prep, the other putting together the ceviche.

Three items were served, Ceviche Camarones(shrimp), Pulpo (Octopus), or Mixto (mixed). and though the shrimp and octopus were "Pacifico" (from the Pacific), we thought the ingredients looked very fresh. The Missus ordered a Grande Mixto, easy on the pulpo. 30 Quetzales ($3.75). While we were waiting, the Missus decided some tortillas would go well with the Ceviche, instead of the usual crackers. So She headed across the street……..and to the laies making tortillas in front of (what else) one of the Pollo Frito (Fried Chicken) joints.

The tortillas being sold were "yellow" tortillas, corn-y goodness, and the best we had on the entire trip. It was also the most expensive at 3 for 1 Quetzal (12 cents).

We ended up eating a dozen with our ceviche.

And what about that Ceviche? Well, it delicious, but very different from any Ceviche I've ever had.

The marinade was very dark, but wonderful, with a nice savory flavor as a counter-point to the refreshing citrus flavor. The tomatoes were sweet, the white onion was mild and on the sweeter side, and I could taste a light touch of mint as well. When we asked about the sauce (I thought I tasted some soy as well), I thought the very nice young man said "salsa Iglesia" and I was somewhat puzzled,"Church Sauce" just didn't make much sense. But later on I purchased a small cookbook, "Favorite Recipes from Guatemala" in the airport, I found a recipe for Ceviche de Camaron. And it became quite clear, it wasn't Salsa Iglesia, it was "Salsa Ingles", Wocestershire Sauce, along with Soy Sauce that flavored the Ceviche!

I was satisfied after the Ceviche, but the Missus couldn't resist buying a tamal from the young lady wearing the coloful huipil pictured above. It was a funny thing as, the Missus kept asking "Tamale", and kept getting negative nods, "no…no tamale". She kept pointing at the corn husk wrapped tamals, going, "tamale?" And the response would be a "no-no chuchito, chuchito, no tamale!"

Chuchitos are small masa tamal, and unlike the tamals we are used to, Guatemalan tamals are dense and waxy, and tend toward the dry side. This Chuchito, at least by our tastes and preferences, was the best we had, moist, with a nice sweet-tangy-mildly spicy sauce.

The pork was very tough, but the rest was pretty good.

We had the Chuchito and some Agua Pura, while sitting on one of the raised sidewalks…..it was perfect for people…..

And pet watching.

It was starting to get crowded, which we took as a sign to get moving along. But I just wasn't ready to leave without getting a little "something small to eat"………

Big Fish Sea Grill

May 27, 2009 mmm-yoso Seafood

**** Big Fish has closed

One day while driving past Diane Village Shopping Center, on the way back from one of my many trips to Ba Ren for take-out, I noticed a sign that said "Big Fish". Big Fish……"what kind of big fish"? was the first thing that went through my head. So the next day I set out to hook myself a "Big Fish".

If I recall, this was a sushi bar of some sort in a previous life.

The menu is what I'll call classic "SoCal Fish joint"; grilled fish dishes, fried seafood, sandwiches, fish n' chips, with ceviche and fish tacos thrown in.

I didn't realize what a huge patio area this place had.

On my first visit, I decided to try out the fish n' chips. According to the menu, you can get them two ways, beer battered or panko crusted. I ordered the beer battered option, but for some reason, it wasn't available, maybe due to the fact that the place hadn't even been open for a week? So I went with the Panko Crusted Fish n Chips. According to the menu, the fish used for the fish n' chips was Cod, not Haddock or Pollock.

As I had a seat, the rather large gentleman dropped off some chips and salsa:

And soon enough my plate of Panko Crusted Fish n' Chips ($8.75), arrived. For some reason "panko crusted", and "fish n' chips" really doesn't click in my head. Undoubtedly a personal issue.

The pieces of fish were a good 3 inches in circumference, and looked bigger in real life than in photos. The panko had soaked up a bit of oil, so I'm thinking that the cooking temperature was a bit off. The flesh had a nice opaque look, and if not super moist, was decent. With regards to being able to tell the difference between cod and haddock, for me, it's mostly an appearance issue. Cod, in my opinion is much more dense, whiter in color when cooked, as this was, and has a bit more of that "fish flavor". Haddock, in my mind is a bit more delicate and perhaps a bit sweeter, with smaller flakes. I'm sure someone out there is an expert in such matters and can perhaps educate me a bit further. The quality of the fish was prefectly acceptable.

Lacking a great batter, this was fairly bland. The saving grace was the malt vinegar.

The waffle cut fries looked really pale, but stood up for the entire meal. The coleslaw was tasteless.

Overall, not great, not bad…..

A few days later, I was pretty tired, and wanted some Ceviche to perk me up. But for some reason, La Playita was closed. I decided to give the ceviche($8.95) at Big Fish a whirl.

This version came with those multi-colored mass produced tortilla chips instead of the usual crackers or tostadas. The bowl was pretty hefty in weight, but man this was bland. The shrimp seemed like they were blanched in water, and the pieces of fish though well "cooked" in texture and color, had very little flavor. As you can see, it was also pretty dry…… This was obviously no La Playita.

For some reason, a week later I found myself back at the counter of Big Fish wondering what I was doing here. I decided to march forward and ordered the fish tacos($8.75):

Geeez, it had everything but the kitchen sink on it. Again the panko crust was a bit greasy, but one thing for sure, with panko you can't hide a little pinkie sized sliver of fish in batter. The "creamy chipotle sauce" was more like a slightly, very slightly spicy, thousand island dressing, and the usual cabbage was replaced by salsa fresca. I used up the two limes and ended up going through two little cups of the salsa. Again the waffle cut fries seemed a bit pale, but held up rather well.

In the end, Big Fish provides on several levels; it is "gringo safe", un-offending food. Perhaps a bit bland to my palate, but may be perfectly fine for yours. The seafood seems to be of decent quality, and the portion sizes and prices are good. The service is unabashedly male, and ranged from friendly, to grunts and nods.

Big Fish Sea Grill
4706 Clairemont Mesa Boulevard (In the Diane Village Shopping Center)
San Diego, CA 92117

Open 10am to 9pm daily
858-490-2205

Postscript: It seems like the Clairemont Mesa, Diane Avenue area, has a few new additions:

A post is coming soon…….

Has it been four years already?

May 26, 2009 mmm-yoso yoso-silly

For some reason, I always think that May 27th is our Blogga-versary…….and luckily, every year I check, to find that "gasp!!!" it's actually May 26th. So yes, it's Spam Musubi time again:

Yes, another year, with great food, great fun, and wonderful FOYs (friends of yoso)! Hard to believe. In a world where things change so quickly, I think that for better or worse, we've kinda stayed the same. What started as a way for the Missus and I to keep track of, and share what we ate, our little food-diary of sorts has grown a bit, with FOYs like Cathy and Ed from Yuma providing much more food and color. And posts listing places ranging far and wide, not only San Diego, Yuma, and SoCal…but from Detroit and Madison, to Seattle and Portland, to Peru and Laos. But it's still a bunch of folks just eating and writing about it. It has been a great four years. I'm hoping that the next year will be a great one as well. I'd like to keep going until I run out of candle space on the musubi!!!

I'm a bit curious…… if you've been reading regularly; I'm wondering how long have you been an FOY?

A most humble thank you for reading, commenting…. and especially for taking the time out to check us out!