mmm-yoso – Page 363

Antigua: La Cuevita de los Urquizu

June 23, 2009 mmm-yoso Guatemala, Guatemalan Food, Travel

We had to make our way from Lake Atitlan toLa Aurora Airport in Guatemala City, and our flight to Flores. Initially, we made arrangements for a shuttle from Panajachel to Antigua, ending at La Aurora Airport. This would have been fine, the shuttle would take 2-3 hours to get to Antigua, drop off everyone, stop, make the rounds picking up other passengers, than head off to Guatemala City. After a short discussion, the Missus and I decided to be dropped off in Antigua, and have Mauricio, the wonderful shuttle driver who originally drove us from the airport to Antigua, drop us off. Lucky for us Mauricio was able to accommodate us. We also felt better giving such a nice dependable, independant operator like Mauricio our money. We also saw the benefit of having a 3 hour layover in Antigua to stretch our legs…..and eat of course!

Which leads us to La Cuevita de los Urquizu, located across the street from the Capuchin Nunnery on 2 Calle Oriente. This was an interesting part of town as there seemed to be some very well-to-do residences, instead of just the usual hotels and businesses. La Cuevita is pretty easy to find, you just look for the crowd…..

And all the bubbling pots…….

Like this wonderful looking Hilachas (shredded beef stew).

The hardest part is choosing what to eat! As these two gentleman illustrate. The older gentleman is a bit gruff, but always takes time to name every single item available. I can imagine how tiring that could be.

If you choose one of the "mains" you also got a tamal, and also select two of what seems an endless selection "sides"….argh, more choices! If you thought reading those humongous menus with over a hundred dishes was tough…try having all of this food within reach, but only being able to pick two! Once your selections have been made, one of the Servers will than carry your plate to the table of your choice.

There is also a large selection of other "comida tipico" such as pupusas, ceviches, platano frito, etc, etc…….

The Missus went with the Estofado de Cordero (lamb stew):

The Missus declared this to be much more flavorful than the version from La Fonda Calle Real.

For Her sides the Missus chose a simple sauteed greens and guacamole.

Having been underwhelmed with the Pepian at La Fonda, and at our hotel at Lake Atitlan, I decided to give the Pepian de Pollo one last try.

I'm glad I did, this was much better than the other two versions I ate. I was told that Pepian is like Guatemalan "curry", and this was like a nice mild curry; rich, with great body. The flavor was unmistakeably chicken, and there was some tomato tanginess, with a background garlic-nuttiness that I enjoyed.

I really enjoyed my sides, the Piloyada, red bean salad was nice and refreshing, and the Arroz great, because, well to tell you the truth, I was kinda missing rice!

The bland and waxy tamal didn't thrill me much.

And of course there was hand made tortillas, no meal would be complete without it!

You could hear the "pat-pat-pat" noises coming from behind these doors.

Everywhere we travel, we pick up at least food item we enjoy. In Guatemala and Honduras, it was the Encurtido, the pickled vegetables that will be provided, usually by request for tourists.

As usual, the "salsa picante" wasn't very picante, but in this very nice and tangy from the tomatillos used to make it.

I'm guessing the Missus loved Her Estofado de Cordero , what do you think?

By the time we finished our meal, every table was filled. Mostly with well to do locals, and Central American and European Tourists. The prices are pretty much out of the range of the local working folk at about $7 per person.

Overall a nice meal….

Upon our return to Antigua, we were searching for a place to eat. Feeling a bit "lazy" I mentioned La Cuevita. The Missus thought we should search out something else. Soon we passed a woman carrying a wonderful looking and smelling bowl of stew. The Missus inquired as to where the woman purchased her heavenly looking bowl. The woman simply said; "La Cuevita"……….

This time around the Missus decided on a plate of "salads" and a Pupusa de Queso y Chicharron (pork and cheese pupusa). Some of the items were pretty good, the Missus enjoys the guacamol in Guatemala, it is plain, but the avocados are rich and tasty. The Picado de Rabano (radish salad) was also refreshing and delicious. The rest of the stuff was very bland. The pork in the pupusa tasted kind of off, and it was on the greasy side.

Again we made sure to get the encurtido cebollas and salsa picante….and the very nice young man even understood what I requested!

I ordered that wonderful stew I saw the woman carrying.

My two sides were disappointing. After sampling versions in Atitlan and Flores, I had developed an affection for Ensalada Remolacha, the beet salad. This was a bland version, with the beets lacking sweetness, and without the refreshing tart and sour flavor that I had experienced before. It seems like Guatemalans love macaroni….I saw folks buying bags of it in Antigua's Supermercado. It was nothing special.

My stew, however was something special. It was hearty and rich, with a nice smokey flavor provided by chilies, and a nice tomato flavor in the background. Our Server was a friendly young man, and was very patient in dealing with our questions. Not knowing what I had selected, we were told it was "Subanik". I love having other folks write in my "black book", seeing their handwriting always takes me back. And so the young man wrote the name of the dish, and described it better than I could've. Subanik; 3 meats, "pollo res y cerdo", and to make sure I understood he wrote, "chiken, bif, and pork"……….I always crack a smile when I turn to that page!

The Missus also asked the young man if She could go upstairs and take some photos. There is a nice dining area which overlooks the street, as well as the courtyard.

I was told that there are some decent comedores around the city, all of which were much cheaper than La Cuevita. But La Cuevita allowed us a chance to try some "comida typico", typical dishes, and the Missus and I were more than happy with our meals there…… and of course I enjoyed my "chiken, bif, and pork"……….

La Cuevita de los Urquizu
2 Calle Oriente 9
Antigua, Guatemala

Everything Tastes Better in a Banh Mi, Right? Sunday Edition – Uni (Sea Urchin) and Egg Banh Mi

June 21, 2009 mmm-yoso Banh Mi, Cooking, Sandwiches, yoso-silly

If you've read my previous post, you'll recall my testing the limits of that phrase. I can't recall who told me that, but it has stuck in my head. This'll be a short post….'cause you know that you should be spending time with Dad on this Father's Day, not checking out some silly "Everything Tastes Better in a Banh Mi" post!

The Banh Mi itself looks fairly innocuous.

I became a big fan of Banh Mi Trung (Egg Banh Mi) during our visit to Vietnam….and I still crave it from time to time. While looking through the recipes in Izakaya: The Japanese Pub Cookbook, I came across a recipe for "Scrambled Eggs with Sea Urchin in Lobster Sauce". It really wasn't the recipe that hit me, but the photo. Along the side of the dish, was a baguette! In the sometimes strange way that my mind works, I thought this to be a great idea. I've had a wonderful "Oeufs Brouillés aux Oursins" (scrambled eggs with sea urchin), and even "Oeufs Brouilles Au Caviar D'Oursin" (scrambled eggs with caviar and sea urchin) a couple of times. Uni, egg, and Banh Mi sounded just wonderful. So why not?

My objective was to not "kill" the wonderful, unique, and delicate flavor of the Uni. I wanted everything to be in harmony, yet not boring. I guess you'd call it "fusion" without "con-fusion".

The bread I picked up from Paris Bakery.

In homage to the Vietnamese Banh Mi Trung, I added some Maggi to the eggs, because as we all know, "Maggi makes everything taste better"! And some sea salt.

For texture, and to balance out the richness, I used the ubiquitous Vietnamese pickled radish and carrots. In addition, instead of cilantro, I added some Kaiware (daikon sprouts). I think a touch of mayo might have been nice, but pate would have killed the sandwich.

There's not much more except for some photos:

Wow, this was "killer", I was amazed at how good this was. The pickles cut the richness, the sprouts added a bit of "spice" and bite, the Maggi added a nice "umami", and you could still taste the wonderful "soul of the ocean"! Not a cheap Banh Mi, but man was it good!

So no Kimchi and Peanut Butter Banh Mi this time around. But the saying still runs true; everything tastes better in a Banh Mi!

Cumin Lamb – Zi Ran Yang Rou

June 20, 2009 mmm-yoso Cooking, Recipes

*** I've got a bit of an update here. This is still one of my favorite things to make!

If you're familiar with my posts, you know that I'm unable to resist the temptation of ordering Cumin Lamb once I see it on the menu. Years ago, if you mentioned cumin and Chinese Food in the same sentence, I would have given you a puzzled look. That was of course, before spending those years living and eating in the San Gabriel Valley, and being exposed to the variety of regional Chinese food found in the area. Still, if one has a conversation about Chinese seasonings, I don't think cumin would come up in the conversation.

I find humor in the fact that the Missus loves this dish as well; She is not a big fan of the distinct "B. O." -ish smell of cumin. The dish itself is based on the dishes of the Uyghur people (Turkic) , most of whom live in Xinjiang, one of the Autonomous regions of China. The dish reflects the "big three seasonings" used in Xinjiang cuisine, salt, red chilies, and of course cumin (孜然). The recipe reflects the combination of three attempts at making this dish. All of which, with the help of the Big Kahuna, came out real well. Funny thing is, I didn't take photos of the last try, which came out the best. What I found is using garlic that's been minced along with slices, sliced onions, and cilantro do it for me. Also, in the last recipe, I used some dark soy which helped to add color, something my original version lacked. I used "shabu shabu" slices of lamb, which can be found at 99 Ranch Market and Zion Market. The best lamb I got was from 99 Ranch Market in San Gabriel, it was very gamey, which just made everything come together well. Make sure to toast the cumin seeds in a dry pan. Using high heat prevents the dish from coming too "watery".

This was so easy that it caused the Missus to exclaim; "you know, there's no reason for any restaurant to screw up this dish". As always, my recipe is just a basic outline, and I'm sure stuff like fresh chilies, and other ingredients will make this dish shine.

Cumin Lamb

2/3 – 3/4 lb lamb sliced into strips

Marinade:
1 Tb Shaoxing Wine
2 Tb Premium Light Soy Sauce
1 Tb Dark Soy Sauce
3 Tb Cumin toasted in a dry pan until fragrant
1/2 tsp Sea or Kosher Salt
1 clove garlic minced fine
red pepper flakes to taste

3-4 Tb Canola Oil
3-4 dried red chilies minus seeds
1/2 medium onion sliced
3 cloves garlic thinly sliced
Cilantro

– Combine lamb and marinade ingredients. Mix and set aside for 15 – 30 minutes
– Before heating wok, add onion slices to marinade and meat.
– Heat a wok over very high heat.
– Add oil and swirl. Add red chilies and briefly scald.
– Add garlic, stir quickly, than add meat. Stir fry over high heat.
– When lamb is cooked, remove from heat and stir in cilantro. Taste and adjust salt.

Asian Noodles revisited

June 18, 2009 mmm-yoso Filipino Restaurants

*** As of August 2011 Asian Noodles has closed

There's something about this place that keeps me coming back every six to eight months or so. It could be that I'm just a sucker for a good story, in this case the story of Ma Mon Luk(Asian Noodles claims to be "Home of the famous Ma Mon Luk Family"), the migrant from Canton who is credited with being the pioneer of Chinoy (Chinese – Filipino food) cuisine. You can read a bit more in my earlier post on Asian Noodle. I'm also fascinated by the Chinese Diaspora, and how the Chinese have influenced food wherever they have landed. Or perhaps, I'm just intrigued by the blending of flavors….. who knows, but I always return.

One thing I'll miss about Asian Noodles is the friendly "Liza" who would entice us off the sidewalk to eat. She passed on recently, much too early, we'll miss her.

On one of my visits, I finally took a photo of the giant woks in the cooking area.

This post will be on some of the "other items" here…….not just the Beef Mami or Siopao.

On one of my visits I tried the Seafood Mami, at ten bucks it was one of the more expensive items on the menu.

I really didn't enjoy this. As is the case about half the time here, the noodles were very mushy. The broth was bland, and the seafood of low quality. It's always bad when the best thing about a soup is the Napa Cabbage.

When I mentioned this to good FOY "MG", I was told that I had ordered badly, and that we'd needed to make a visit to Asian Noodles so she could set me straight. A few months later, the day finally arrived. As we had a seat, MG started kidding the shy and very nice young lady taking our order. She easily passed as Filipino to me, and even MG had been fooled at first. One one visit however, when MG started chatting in Tagalog with her, the truth was revealed……she is Thai! The young lady understands enough Tagalog to get by. I'm wondering how many folks think that she's a nice, young Filipino gal? The rule was no Mami, no Siopao, I've already had those dishes.

MG suggested I try the Beef Pares.

This classic "pair" (pare) is a simmered stewed beef served with garlic rice. I found that garlic rice might just be the way to go here, nicely browned fried rice, with a nice garlic flavor. The stewed beef was a palette of familiar flavors; soy sauce, star anise, sugar, and a touch of garlic.

The beef was fairly tender, the larger pieces were a touch on the dry side. I enjoyed the broth/gravy, it was like a good Chinese Beef Stew.

MG ordered the Tapsilog, and insisted that I try some of the Beef Tapa.

The exterior of the beef was crisp, the interior soft, and wonderful combination of textures. The flavor was an excellent combination of salty and sweet, which reminded me a bit of Mongolian Beef. It was different from most versions of Beef Tapa I've had.

We also ordered the "Special Pancit".

Basically a chow mein like dish. The noodles again were a bit too soft for my taste. The beef was fairly soft and moist, but this was just kinda plain to me. It showed no characteristics of being prepared in a wok.

For me garlic rice is the way to go here; and I'll probably be back for the Beef Tapa in a few months!

Asian Noodles
1430 E Plaza Blvd
National City, CA 91950
10am – 8pm Daily

COMC: The aborted Golden City hot pot project, a revisit to Sam Woo

June 17, 2009 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants

Yes, even more “COMC” (clearing out the memory card) posts. Here’s a potpourri of revisits of the Chinese Restaurant variety for ya’.

The Golden City hot pot project:

**** Golden City has closed

I’m sure you find the photos of the “golden oldies” from Golden City kinda boring, but here are few anyway…..

Kwai Fei Chicken:

Though s bit inconsistent at times, the Kwai Fei Chicken is still one of my favorites here.

The lunch specials are still reasonably priced, with items like the Pork Chops with Spicy Salt.

Though the Peking Duck appetizer has gone up in price. If you want the dish served with minced Duck in Lettuce Cups, it’ll cost you $25 now. The duck is still carved tableside.

At one point, I thought I’d try to run through all the hot pot offerings, including the seasonal specials. After a while, I just ran out of momentum, and to be perfectly frank, motivation. But here are a few photos for you.

The Golden City Seafood Hot Pot.

At the time we ordered this, it was priced at $16. Not bad, but I wasn’t too impressed with the flavor and the quality of the seafood…except for the Sea Cucumber.

And though I enjoy the Chaozhou Beef Stew, I also enjoy the Beef Stew hot pot on occasion.

When done right, it is full of soft, buttery beef tendon. I also enjoy the slices of daikon radish in the dish. The “sauce” is well flavored and balanced. On not so good days, the tendon is rock hard, and the sauce edges toward too salty….or too bland.

I started losing motivation when we started ordering stuff like the Salted Fish with Taro Hot Pot.

There was very little salted fish, and this was very bland…….it was like eating paste, something I haven’t done since well, elementary school. After a while all the hot pots started blending into one, and I stopped taking photos.

Though I will never forget the look on the faces of the orange chicken eating gringos on the table next to us when the Ground Pork and Salted Fish arrived and the scent hit their noses.

I think one of the guys threw up in his mouth a little when the next dish, Kwai Fei Chicken arrived…..per his mumblings, I guess Kwai Fei Chicken does look like “raw chicken”. Sigh……like I always say, some folks are better off eating at Panda Express.

Golden City Restaurant
5375 Kearny Villa Rd.
San Diego, CA 92123

More Sam Woo (not the “Killer Whale“):

We go long periods of time without eating at Sam Woo. But eventually we always return. Perhaps we miss the sodium and MSG induced edema…….. We’ve had our share of not so good meals at Sam Woo, but on this visit, we enjoyed ourselves. It seemed like we hit Sam Woo at the perfect time, even the older Server there, the one whose tongue is a sharp as a cleaver, smiled and said, “I haven’t seen you in a long time” made this a nice little meal.

Clams with Basil:

The Missus’s clam and shell inventory came out…… She always does a mental count of clam meat versus shells, thinking that we get more shells than clams. The clams were plump, the flavor decent…….

Sam Woo Seafood Pan Fried Noodles:

Though it pales in comparison to other restaurants, for $7.95, I think this is worth it. Plus, I’m a sucker for these. This was why we came here, I was craving some pan fried egg noodles. Most of the seafood was “meh”, but I just wanted the noodles………

And finally:

From what many consider to be the “wrong side of the pig”, fried Pork Intestines. These weren’t too bad, there was that dark, dank flavor, that I’ve slowly (very slowly) come to appreciate. The intestines didn’t have too much “debris”, a nice way of saying “stuff that the pig should have gotten rid of before it met its maker”.

We both thought the intestines could have been more crisp, and were on the oily side. The slices were also lukewarm, which made us feel a bit too “raw” if you know what I mean. There were a few pieces oozing grey matter, which we saved for those who would appreciate such things, i.e. Da’ Boyz.

As much as I grumble about Sam Woo in San Diego being not up to the standards of the SGV locations, this was a pretty good meal…….

Sam Woo BBQ Restaurant
7330 Clairemont Mesa Blvd Ste 103
San Diego, CA 92111

I hope everyone is having a great week!

Pisa’s Chicago Deli

June 15, 2009 mmm-yoso Hot Dogs, Sandwiches

*** Pisa's has closed.

Recently some business found me in the Mission Gorge area around lunch time. I saw a storefront I hadn't noticed before. I think this used to be a location of Submarina or something like that.

And since I just can't seem to pass up a chance at a Chicago Dog, I just had to stop.

The interior does seem to scream "sandwich chain", but the menu is bit different.

And so I ordered….what else, a Chicago Dog ($3.49):

The good? The standard Chicago Dog roll-call indicated all the usual suspects were present; the dog is Vienna Beef, the roll is poppy seed, the sport peppers were nice and spicy, the neon green relish was in attendance, as was the celery salt and tomato slices.

The bad? The dog was "blanched" and flavorless, the poppy seed bun was heated in the microwave and gummy, and it didn't have enough celery salt. Barely passable at best……

A few weeks later, I found myself back in the area, and decided to give Pisa's another try. This time I went for the Chicago Style Italian Beef Sandwich ($6.49), which I requested "hot dipped":

Even though the beef was basically your standard roast beef, it was sliced fresh. The roll was a standard French Roll, which did fine. The young man working the counter even included a cup of the "broth", which tasted pretty much like the stuff you'd serve with a roast beef dip. I once had a version so full of oregano and garlic flavor…..this wasn't it, but neither was it terrible. The giardiniera was the appropriate "sport pepper" version, which I enjoy.

And though I don't really consider this a "real" Chicago Beef sandwich, it sure was a lot of food:

I also enjoyed the potato salad which was cold, with a nice vinegar flavor.

All in all, that beef sandwich sure was pretty hefty. The menu is different from the usual Subway and Quizno's, and the guys that work here were nice and friendly. So if you're in the area, and really need a Chicago Dog……..

Pisa's Chicago Deli
10450 Friar's Road
San Diego, CA 92120

Road Trip: Qing Dao Bread Food – Monterey Park (Los Angeles)

June 14, 2009 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants, Los Angeles County, Road Trip

*** A short update can be found here.

Even though I've had Qing Dao Bread Food on my list for quite a while, we approached the place with some trepidation. The namesake is the Missus' hometown, so there's some apprehension, enough so, that we just kinda drove past during our trips to the area. This morning, however, was a bit different; the usual "June gloom" had been augmented with a bit of rain, and temperatures were much lower than the norm. We both thoughtthat a trip to China Islamic, for some Lamb Hot Pot would hit the spot. Unfortunately, China Islamic seemed to be a bit late in opening, and we decided to drive onward down Garvey. By the time we hit the "heart of Monterey Park", the intersection of Garfield and Garvey, we had made up our mind. Today was the day we'd check out Qing Dao Bread Food.

The interior of the small shop is non-descript, and wouldn't stand out amongst the other thousand or so little shops strewn across the San Gabriel Valley.

And as we entered, the Missus grabbed an ordering sheet, and chatted with the gentleman behind the counter. The Missus returned to our table with a smile. "Oh my, the accents are sooooo Qing Dao." The Missus has a thing about accents, we once sat in a Shenyang Restaurant, and the Missus kept giggling the entire night at the accents of the staff and clientle.

After placing our order, peeking around the posted Jiaozi and Baozi prices, we could see the woman rolling out the dough for our Jiaozi behind the Plexiglas window.

Taking into account the accents, the staff's features, and this, the Missus told me that this was the "real deal".

Growing up, this was the standard condiment for Baozi and Jiaozi in Qing Dao; garlic that had been pounded in a mortar mixed with vinegar. In fact, when She was a child, it was the Missus's job to peel the garlic. Which of course She hated! This was mighty strong stuff, that tastes great if you're garlic lover like myself……but the aftertaste will hang around for a good long time…….

The first item to arrive was the Pork and Green Bean Baozi ($1.25):

The Baozi arrived with a good twelve sets of "pleats". I was told that Baozi in traditionally shaped to mimic a woman's bound feet, once a symbol of beauty in China. My MIL also informed me that folks say the "more folds, the better the taste", which She said was just a myth.

The breaking open the Baozi, we noticed it was full of roughly cut green beans and pork. "Very country-like, just like what I grew up eating" said the Missus. Per my MIL, green beans is a common Baozi ingredient during the summer, replaced by Napa Cabbage in the winter. We found the dough to be much too crumbly, and it lacked the nice yeasty scent and flavor.

The filling was excellent in flavor, especially the pork.

Next up was the Lamb Jiaozi ($6.95):

When these arrived (a dozen), we could tell by the sheen and the look of the wrappers that this was going to be good. The wrappers had a wonderful al dente texture, with just the perfect amount of pull. Texturewise, these were perfect for me.

Each dumpling contained a bit of rich "soup", and the meat, though a bit chewy had a wonderful lamb flavor.

I told the Missus that, "these were probably the best I've had". The Missus concurred and said these were the best Qing Dao Jiaozi She's had in the States. And then of course came the inevitable loaded question. "So, you think these are better than my Mom's, huh?" After hemming and hawing, and doing the "similar but different" cop-out move, I surrendered and pleaded the fifth. No way was I going to jeopardize my "Jiaozi futures".

While I was plowing through the Jiaozi, the Missus had a chat with the Owner. They are from Qing Dao, and have been in the US for nine years. The Missus even remembered his street in Qing Dao, which was in the same District as where the Missus grew up.

Last to arrive were the Pork, Leek, and Shrimp Lu Bao ($6.95):

And though the filling was roughly chopped, with large pieces of pork and shrimp, in the manner of the Lu Bao of the Missus's youth, the dough left a bit to be desired. The tops were gummy instead of fluffy, and the bottom was hard instead of crisp. I also thought it tasted oily. The filling had great flavor though.

Of course, finding that I had found Jiaozi that rivaled my MIL's, the Missus immediately called Her Mom! Oh-uh……. The Missus wasn't able to talk to Her Mom until later that evening, but the desire to needle her still hadn't subsided. Upon finding that I enjoyed my Jiaozi, my MIL declared that She was, "very jealous" and asked for the name and phone number of this restaurant. When asked why should should want that information, she told us jokingly, "I'm going call and find out the secret of their Jiaozi." The Missus of course asked why would they share their recipe with you? To which my MIL replied, "we are from the same district, we are neighbors, what is the harm?"

She was joking….I think….I hope.

Qing Dao Bread Food
301 North Garfield Ave.
Monterey Park, CA 91754
(626) 312-6978

Check out PepsiMonster's post on QDBC here.

Check out the Gastronomer's post of QDBC here.

Postscript: While writing this the Missus called Her Mother….and guess what, Her Mother actually called QDBC! Among the things my MIL did find out was that the Owners are from the same neighborhood as the Missus's family. What She didn't find out was the recipe to their Jiaozi dough! Even using small talk and the "La Guan Xi" (doing the buddy-buddy thing) method didn't work. The response to the recipe request? "You come here eat, and we'll tell you the recipe!" he-he-he-he………

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