mmm-yoso – Page 419

Ch-Ch-Chain: Chipotle

January 4, 2006 mmm-yoso Chains, Mexican Restaurants

~~Chi-poodle~~, um, Chipotle is one of the "regular stops" for our office. To the extent that we’ve won a few "free lunches" for the office. You know how those work, you throw a business card in a glass jar, and they make a weekly drawing. And sometimes you do win! Chipotle is one of those "Fast Casual" chains, and subsidiary of McDonald’s Corporation, that serves modified "Mexican Food".

You can tell when a restaurant becomes a regular part of the work rotation when you give it a nickname. I’ve started calling Chipotle, "The Poodle", as in "Chi-poodle". Not to slight Chipotle, but if you like a salty, drenched in sour cream, burrito stuffed with rice and beans, and pay 6 bucks for it, Chipotle is your place.

One of the great things about Chipotle, especially for our office is that you can fax in your order by filling out one of these handy-dandy order sheets:

When I order form Chipotle, I’m strictly a vegetarian, yes, VEGETARIAN. I’ve tried all of the "meats", and really don’t care for them. So what I get is a Burrito "Bowl"(you can tell how much I love the tortillas here), with Black Beans, Corn Salsa, Hot Salsa, Sour Cream, Guacamole(extra $1.40), Cheese, and Chips(45 cents).

Can you imagine all of that in a Burrito, along with some "meat", sheesh! I mix everything together and use it as a "dip". The only thing is, that it costs me almost 7 bucks! To be perfectly honest, this veggie bowl is alot better then some other "Fast-Casual" offerings I’ve eaten.

I do enjoy the rather large portion of chips that have been flavored with a lime-salt. Nice and salty, and tastes rather good with the "Veggie-Bowl".

So I’m satisfied just to be able to fit in, at least I know I can order something from "The Poodle".

Question – The quickest way to turn me vegetarian?

The Answer – Keep ordering from all these "Fast-Casual" restaurants.

Chipotle – Coming to a neighborhood near you!

Nishime

January 3, 2006 mmm-yoso Cooking, Recipes

*** I have an updated (2014) version of this recipe here if you're interested.

Nishime; a humble Japanese Vegetable Stew, is a New Years staple for many households in Hawaii. There are probably as many different Nishime recipes as there are Families, and you are sure to find Nishime at almost any New Years "spread" in Hawaii.

Actually, I've been trying to retire from making Nishime for several years. As soon as New Year approaches, I'd ask the Missus if she wants me to make "Sukiyaki". And Her answer will always be the same; "No, I want Nishime". "Why?" "Because it takes much more time and labor to make. And that is a labor of love. heeheehee." It's quite surprising that such a humble stew, takes so much time and effort to make. Though to be honest, many of the ingredients can be bought already cut, sliced, or otherwise prepared. But for some reason the Nishime made with pre-made ingredients doesn't taste the same. It probably lacks the saltiness from the sweat of my labor! The actual cooking time is only about 30 minutes or so. It's the preparation that takes time.

Please forgive the somewhat "disjointed" recipe. I've tried to present the process in a fairly coherent manner, including many steps that are probably obvious to anyone who has made Nishime, or any similar dish before.

1 Lb Thinly sliced lean pork(We use Beef, the Missus enjoys the flavor)
2 Tb Vegetable Oil
5 Cups Water
2 36" Strips Nishime(not Dashi) Kombu(Kelp)
1 Strip Kanpyo (Dried Gourd)
2 Packages Konnyaku or Shirataki
2 Cups Daikon cut into wedges
1 Cup Carrots cut using a rolling cut
2 Cans Takenoko Tips(Bamboo Shoot Tips)
2 Stalks Gobo (Burdock Root)
12-15 Satoimo/Araimo/Dasheen(Japanese Taro)
6 dried or fresh Shiitake Mushroom – rehydrated in warm water if dried
1/2 Cup Soy Sauce
1/4 Cup Sugar
1/4 Cup Mirin
2 Tb Sake
1/2 Tsp salt
2 Cloves Garlic Minced

1 – Place two large pots of water on the stove and bring to a boil.

2 – Wash Kombu, and strip lengthwise if wider then 3 inches. Tie into knots at 2 inch intervals. To make the Kombu the way I do it, tie one strip of Kombu into knots, and leave the other as is. Soak Kombu in water for 20 minutes. Soak Kanpyo in water for 20 minutes.

3 – Cut Gobo in half; and scrape "skin/bark" off of root using a spoon. Immediately place in water to prevent discoloration. Cut Gobo into 1/2" matchstick lengths. Parboil in water for several minutes(I use a microwave for 3 minutes on high)

4 – Blanch and peel Araimo, and place in water to avoid discoloration.(Blanching makes the taro much easier to peel) Be careful if cutting the taro, it is very starchy and slippery.

5 – Because the Missus likes her Kombu in "maki"(roll) form; I'll tie half the Kombu, and make the other half into maki as a compromise; rolling the Kombu and tying with a short strip of Kanpyo.

6 – If the smell or slight bitterness of Bamboo Shoots bothers you, pour boiling water over Bamboo Shoots, drain, then cut into slices lengthwise.

7 – If using Shirataki(yam noodles), open packages and place in a colander. Pour boiling water over Shirataki to remove the "smell". If using Konnyaku, slice crosswise.

8 – Cut Daikon into "wedges", cut Carrots using a "rolling cut".

9 – Mince garlic.

10 – Heat oil over medium heat. Add garlic and pork until light brown in color.

11 – Add water, all the vegetables(except Shiitakes), sugar, sake, and mirin. Bring to a slow boil and cook for 15 minutes.

12 – Add Shiitakes, soy sauce, and salt and simmer 15 minutes, or until cooked. Taste and make adjustments to flavoring.

Like most stews, the Nishime will taste better the day after cooking.

Whew! No wonder Nijiya sells Nishime for $3.99 for 2 ounces! As mentioned before, you can purchase peeled and perfectly round frozen satoimo and rolled kombu maki ready to be soaked. I would not recommend the frozen packaged sliced Gobo; many times a preservative is used to prevent oxidation. I've also eaten Nishime with abuarage(fried tofu), Hasu(Lotus Root), Kamaboku(steamed fish cake) or chicken used to replace the pork/beef. Dashi is also often used to add flavor as well. So many variations for this tasty, but humble "poor folk's" stew.

I'm bushed!

Jamillah Garden

January 2, 2006 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants

*** Jamillah Garden in San Diego has closed. It is now CrawDaddy’s

When we lived in Los Angeles we enjoyed more then a few Islamic Chinese meals at either VIP Chinese Restaurant, which was located just two blocks from our apartment, or Tung Lai Shun in the humongous San Gabriel Square(Focus Shopping Center). In fact it was at VIP Restaurant where I started learning that there was much, much more to Chinese Cuisine then the usual Cantonese fare. I distinctly remember a Chicago pizza size Da-Bing(sesame bread with Green onion) being delivered to our table, as I stared at it in amazement.

So we were obviously thrilled when Jamillah Garden opened up.

Unfortunately, our experiences at Jamillah Garden has been quite a "roller-coaster" experience. The flavors of dishes have fluctuated wildly, and the same dish would vary wildly from day to day. We’ve already given up on the Dao Ko Chicken(Home style roast chicken), one of my favorite dishes. At Jamillah Garden it’s so mildly flavored, a mere shadow of what Dao Ko Shao Gi should be. We’ve pretty much settled on a few dishes that Jamillah Garden does well, and stick with those. So, on this rainy New Year, we decided to pay a visit to Jamillah Garden.

The interior of Jamillah Garden is clean and bright, and very "warming" on this cold rainy day.

And started with our "Green Onion Pies" (Scallion Pancake,$2.25), a very basic Northern Chinese "bread":

Today ,this was rolled very thin; almost like Naan, and in a large rectangular shape, not the pancake "oval" that we were used too. But it was fried to a perfect crisp. We tasted, but waited until this arrived; our Lamb Stew "Warm Pot"(Lamb Hot Pot, $15.95).

The Lamb Warm Pot is the dish we usually order at Jamillah Garden. Though we’ve had the quality vary, from very bland and watery, to superbly gamey and rich. Today, it was the latter, both with the earthy flavor of lamb, with a touch of anise flavor, cubes of tofu, thick sliced cellophane noodles, cilantro, nappa cabbage, and most of all, lot’s of lamb! The Missus and I both love the gamey and somewhat "wild" flavor of lamb, and today’s dish was no disappointment. If it’s lamb, it should taste like lamb, one of my pet peeves is lamb that "tastes like chicken".

Today, it’s rated as Delici-yoso!!! And oh, so comforting.

We also ordered the Homemade Noodles – Three Flavor Dough Slice Chow Mein(!!!) – $6.95. This is actually a classic Northern Chinese dish – Knife-Cut Noodles. In short, dough is prepared and rolled into a "ball", and the noodles are cut by hand right over a bowl of soup, or right before stir-frying.

Without sounding too strange, I’d just say, that this type of noodle has "body". The noodles are of varied width, and lengths; I’ve been told to represent the uneven, rough terrain and life in Northern China. The noodle is chewy and doughy, much different from the typical noodle. It can also be an acquired taste. Though the Missus grew up eating this type of noodle, I prefer it more then she. The dish itself is very simple, a stir fry with beef, eggs, shrimp, and green onions; with the flavor of sesame oil, soy sauce, and black pepper. The portion size was quite large, though those who are looking for alot of "meat" will be a bit unsatisfied with the dish; it’s mostly about the noodles. I’ll do the Niu Rou Mein from Jamillah in a future post!

To its’ credit; Jamillah Garden serves "Halal Meat", prepared in accordance with Islamic requirements that I’m not really sure of. And in keeping with that, Jamillah Garden aims to provide appropriate Chinese food for the Islamic Community. This means that Jamillah Garden tries to cook all types of Chinese, from Beef with Broccoli to Kung Pao Chicken. Many times with limited success. And even though the "classic" Islamic Chinese dishes have been inconsistent, today they were excellent; and worth a try. Just stay with Northern-Beijing Chinese, and you’ll do fine.

Jamillah Garden Chinese Islamic Restaurant
4681 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111

Happy New Year!

December 31, 2005 mmm-yoso Markets & Grocers

Just a real quick post for New Years! I’ll be busy making Nishime(Vegetable Stew) and other dishes this evening. Then will gorge myself silly, take a short nap, watch some DVD. Around midnight, I’ll walk outside into the front yard(hopefully it won’t rain), and take my first deep breath of the New Year. I’ll then walk back in the house and have some Soba, and other stuff.

Of course I had to do some shopping this morning, and stopped by the two nearby Japanese Markets; Nijiya and Mitsuwa. I managed to snap a few quick photos of some Osechi.

Osechi are Japanese New Year "food", and most of the items are very symbolic. Usually Osechi-ryori are sold in lacquer or similar type boxes called "Jubako".

Prices can range from $25 up to over $150. And many of them will sell out by the early afternoon of New Years eve. Many off the items included in these boxes represent good health and prosperity for the New Year. Don’t know about that; I’ve had my share of Osechi-ryori, and I don’t really think I’ve gotten any more prosperous, healthy, taller, or anything else. But why take chances?

Some of the items found in these boxes are:

Kamabuko – The standard Red and White steamed fishcake.

Kuromame – Sweetened black soybeans.

Kazunoko – Herring Roe. Here’s an really great article.

Shrimp – Represents long life.

Some type of Tamago – Either Dashi-maki, or Date-maki(sweet) omelette.

And many more items. Even the Nishime that I’ll be making:

Looks a heck of alot prettier then my version for sure.

I’d like to send out our sincere wishes for a Healthy and Prosperous New Year!

Yoso-nosey: You Are What You Eat Meme

December 29, 2005 mmm-yoso yoso-silly

You are what you eat. Now how many times have I heard that? Hundreds? Thousands? And in what context? I’d guess, until my interest in food, I’d heard that phrase used when someone, or some group was attempting to influence eating habits. Nowadays, in the ever growing "Foodie-verse", rarely does a day go by when I don’t read the Brillat-Savarin quote:

"Tell me what you eat, and I will tell you what you are."

Now that I’ve been tagged by Alan of Ma’ona, I thought I’d best get this done before the New Year. In case you’re interested, here’s Alan’s list.

So what do those food items that I "can’t live without" say about me? Hmmmmm…..

10 – Oysters: I never really had live, fresh oysters growing up. And even as an adult; I enjoyed fried oysters, or even a "bag" of fresh oysters on the grill, as soon as the oyster "opened up" you’d flavor it with Tabasco and soy sauce and eat those babies. A whole new world opened up with a trip to Seattle in the early 90’s. I ended up at a restaurant on Elliot Bay, and sat down in the bar. I saw a list of various oysters at the Raw Bar; I picked a dozen, and kept on going….. These days, if I step into a Raw Bar, and the oysters meet my approval, I’ll end up eating them with just a minute bit of lemon juice. To me, it’s both, the texture and most importantly, the aftertaste that "makes" the oyster.

9 – Yogurt:Boring, I know. But it’s my usual breakfast, and has been for decades. It seems that I’ll never get tired of yogurt. I usually enjoy plain yogurt the most.

8 – Mushrooms: I guess you could say this "Fun Guy", loves his Fungi! Growing up in Hawaii, the only mushrooms I knew either came in a can or were dried. I remember having dinner back in the early 80’s(that 1980’s, ok!) in a restaurant; if I can recall it was called The Bistro, or something like that, and in addition to the wonderful Escargot, we had Basic Sauteed Mushrooms. Talk about an epiphany! I’d never had fresh mushrooms before. Soon after fresh white mushrooms became available in local Supermarkets, and Crimini and Portobello soon followed.

7- Chinese Dumplings: This is a rather new obsession; nay, more of a craving. I’ve loved "potstickers" ever since I first had them at a restaurant called King Tsin on Young Street. But my true love of "Jiaozi" started when my Mother In Law first made them! We had lunch at King Tsin; and she realized that I enjoyed dumplings. The following day she made me the first dozen homemade Jiaozi, and I’ve been hooked ever since. I learned that fresh(like made 5 minutes ago) Jiaozi should be eaten boiled(water-dumplings), and I agree. It’s gotten to the point where when my In-Laws visit, they’ll make 4-5 hundred(yes, hundred) dumplings with various fillings, which we’ll freeze. When rather fresh, we’ll eat boiled. As time goes by we’ll eat them fried. BTW, the Missus also makes great Jiaozi, but is semi-retired from dumpling making. Occasionally coming out of retirement.

6 – Soy Based Products: Hey, I’m of Japanese ancestry, I can’t live without it!

5 – Garlic, Onions, & Chilies: This is my cooking "trinity". I usually manage to sneak these into most dishes. I have to show alot of restraint with regards to garlic. I’ve always believed that if 1 clove is required, 5 cloves is better. I love pickled garlic; roasted garlic, you name it. A Gal I knew, who was from Korea, while watching me eating Kim Chee Garlic & Garlic shoots tell me, "Kirk, you know they say that garlic extends your life. If that is true, you’ll live forever!" As for onions, I’ve always loved them. I especially love Maui and good Walla Walla onions. As an example; a few years back I was shopping at I think Bristol Farms in Pasadena. There was a "Guy" in the produce department, showing people "produce", and he had Walla Walla’s on his little table. As I passed by he told me how sweet the onions were. He had caramelized onions, and some other items. I told Him, "okay, let me taste a slice". He handed me some caramelized onions on a slice of baguette. I said "No, cut me a slice of onion". I’m assuming he thought I was going to check out the aroma or something of that sort. You should have seen the look on his face when I ate the entire slice of onion, and told Him "Not bad, but too much acid, much too bitter, Maui onions are still better." Chilies are a recent addition. Funny thing is my Parents really couldn’t tolerate spicy food real well.

4- Chicken & Duck: I don’t think I need to say much about this.

3 – Deep Sea and Bottom Fish: For those who really want to understand the types of fish I’m writing about, here’s a link. Basically, the type of fishes I grew up eating. So give it to me as Poke’, Sashimi, Sushi, or Seared. But please do not cook to a dry, flavorless mess! You can just pop a can of tuna for that.

2 – Plate Lunches: I’ve come to limit myself to one maybe every 2 weeks or so. But still, the first thing I do when I get back "home", almost as soon as I get off the plane, is grab a plate lunch. I have my favorites; as everybody "back home" does. But to me, nothing represents "home", as much as a plate lunch does.

1 – Rice: Though I’ve tried to "wean" myself off of eating rice 3 times a day, I still need to have rice at least once every 3 days. There’s no doubt, I was born eating rice, and I’ll go out eating rice.

In the middle of writing this, I suddenly realized; if you are what you eat…then I’m a very pungent, milky, earthy, starchy, person…..ummmm, maybe I shouldn’t have done this!

For those who feared that some "meat product" would be part of this post. Well, let me satisfy you:

Thanks Alan, for me, this was an interesting and fun post!

Who am I tagging? It seems I keep tagging the same people over and over. So for a change; let’s tag some of my more recent favorites – Passionate Eater, AKA "PE", Dylan of Eat, Drink, & Be Merry, and Barbara of Tigers & Strawberries. Can’t wait to see what these lists will be like!

Kim Chan Sandwich Shop

December 28, 2005 mmm-yoso Banh Mi, Sandwiches, Vietnamese Restaurants, What Ed Eats -You too can be like Ed!

***** Kim Chan is now Lena’s Sandwiches & Deli

It has been a fairly warm December, with temperatures reaching into the mid-70's to low 80's on certain days. On one of those days I decided to give Ed from Yuma's favorite Banh Mi shop a try. Though the address is El Cajon Boulevard, Kim Chan is actually located on 47th Street, next to a coin laundry, Vietnamese Video Shop, and Currency Exchange.

It's a fairly small shop with two small tables; a majority of the space is taken up with refrigerators and deli-cases. Most of the menu is in Vietnamese, with only 5 items written in English. At least there wouldn't be any of the indecisive paralysis brought on by too many choices here! Kim Chan is truly a Mom-and-Pop operation. There were two people ahead of me on my first visit; and though my order was taken quickly, I had to wait about 20 minutes for my sandwich.

I ordered the "combination" (Dac Biet) which cost only $2!

This sandwich really had "pate" on it, not just a "sausage pate", a pork "loaf", and "head cheese". Though the sandwich was smaller then those at K Sandwich at about 7-8 inches, the circumference of the sandwich was a perfect fit for my mouth. What set this sandwich apart from many of the mediocre versions, is that I could really taste the meats, the salty, mildly gamy, and sweet fillings. The amount of vegetables was perfect, and added a nice crunch, along with a vinegary touch to the sandwich. The slightly hot chilies was a nice touch as well. But it was not a perfect sandwich. Tough stringy cilantro stems are a pet peeve of mine. Also though the crust of the bread was good, the bread portion was mushy and doughy, and frankly tasted a bit "stale". As a whole the sandwich was not crusty enough for me.

Since I enjoyed the Combination Sandwich, except for the bread, I thought I'd pay Kim Chan another visit. This time I ordered the BBQ Pork($2.00) sandwich:

Since I was the only customer in the restaurant, I got my sandwich in about 5 minutes. The BBQ Pork sandwich contained a single layer of BBQ Pork sliced to about 1/8th of an inch thick, Instead of the usual thin sliced pork, the pork in the sandwich looked like it had been "cut" from a larger piece. The vegetables and green chili were again portioned perfectly for the sandwich, this sandwich also had fried shallots added which was a nice touch. This time the bread was perfectly toasted, and nice and crusty. I really didn't care for the pork, which was nice and tender, though quite dry, and also very "fishy" in taste.

I think I'll stick with the Combination Sandwich, with the nice flavors, and hopefully will get a "good" baguette. The sandwiches at Kim Chan are a bit smaller then most Banh Mi, but are portioned well, so that all of the different tastes come through. And at about 2 bucks($2.50 for BBQ Beef), the price is definitely right.

Kim Chan Sandwich Shop
4712 El Cajon Blvd Suite N
San Diego, CA 92115

El Potosino Mexican Food

December 27, 2005 mmm-yoso Mexican Restaurants, Taco Shops

**** El Potosino has closed

I had heard that El Potosino Mexican Restaurant in Lemon Grove made good Cabeza(Beef Head/Cheek) tacos. So we took a drive down to the strip mall near the intersection of Federal Boulevard and College Ave. You could say, I really work hard looking for some……..cabeza.

Entering the large and "breezy" dining area, we looked over the fairly large menu that included Mojarra (usually deep fried tilapia), Cosido De Res(Beef Shank Soup), and all the usual suspects.

We decided to try several of the "meats" and the best platform would seem to be ordering several tacos. We started with Shredded Beef($1.89) and Cabeza($1.89) Tacos. First off these tacos were pretty large. The shredded beef was served in a fried corn tortilla "shell", and overall was pretty bland, and forgettable.

We had made this trip mainly for the Cabeza, so the Cabeza Taco was the focus of my attention. The Cabeza taco was served up in the traditional way, with onions and cilantro, in a mediocre, brittle double corn tortilla. The portion size was fairly large. This cabeza was just okay, fairly gamy, but lacking the condensed beef flavor I was looking for, and not nearly as tender as my favorite Cabeza tacos. The meat was very much like head cheese, and cut into chunks, and more waxy than moist. Not bad, but not good.

In order to "cover" the meal, in case the Cabeza and other tacos are horrid, we will always order a few standard tacos, like the Beef(above) and a Carne Asada($2.29), along with a Adobada($1.89). The Carne Asada, was moist and tender, but flavorless. In fact, this tasted like a guacamole/pico de gallo taco.

The Adobada was the real winner. I had thought that Adobada was pork stewed in a "red" sauce, that included oregano, vinegar, and chipotle. But this Adobada seemed really close to Al Pastor, the dry rubbed, and sometimes marinated pork, usually grilled on a vertical spit(trombo). In fact this would qualify as a real good Al Pastor in my book. The meat was nicely grilled and caramelized, with a balanced "chili" flavor, slightly spicy, with some sweet hints. Delici-yoso!!! I enjoyed the additional taste the onions and cilantro added to the taco, and a squirt of lime brought it all together. If I ever return I'll have an Adobada Burrito, maybe an Adobada with Rice Burrito.

Overall the adobada made this a successful trip. The tacos here seemed to be on the expensive side but were quite large. In fact we left El Potosino more then satisfied. As is the norm, a red and a green hot sauce is served with the tacos. The hot sauces are pretty unremarkable, the green sauce has a better flavor.

El Potosino Mexican Food
6929 Federal Blvd
Lemon Grove, CA 91945

Thai Cafe

December 26, 2005 mmm-yoso Buffets, Thai Restaurants

**** Thai Cafe has closed

At this time of the year, with all the hustle and bustle, it seems that there are occasions when we are only allotted time for a quick bite. And yet, our appetites may betray us, and require a more substantial, yet quick meal. In cases like this Thai Cafe is a Godsend.

Most Customers arrive at Thai Cafe with intentions of chowing down on the well priced ($6.50/lunch, $8.99/Dinner), which features about 25-30 items.

The quick drill goes like this. We walk in, and as the Server is walking up to us, we stage whisper, or raise fingers with the amount of people in our party. In this case two, the Server walks us to our table, while we give him our drink order. And instead of sitting down, we set off to the buffet.

If you expect "warming tray hell", you may be slightly surprised, that most(you'll figure out what doesn't rather quickly) dishes do rather well. And during slightly more busy times, the dishes are turned over quite promptly. By this time a whole 3 minutes has elapsed. After a few visits, you develop a Thai Cafe "strategy". You actually do two "plates" before sitting down. The first is a plate of "salads" and fried items. On any given day the Papaya Salad can be a good choice.

Very simple and without dried shrimp or crab, it's still features good "heat" from the chilies, along with the crunchy papaya, it's actually not bad at all. On this visit, the Larb(in this case ground chicken) Salad was just brought out, and thus didn't have the chance to dry out. The taste of lemongrass, and cilantro stand out. On many visits the larb salad has been dry, so we'll usually pass.

There are two noodle dishes that are usually dependable; the Spicy Noodles (Drunken Noodles):

Or the Pad Woon Sen (Bean Thread). As you can tell, these a quite short on the meat, but all carb lovers would probably enjoy them. On any given day, one could be better then the other; but an "educated" eye, can determine which to choose. There is also fried rice(ok), and what I consider to be terrible Pad Thai as well.

There are several curries, usually a spicy fried catfish, or something similar, salt and pepper squid(not bad), orange chicken, Pad Prik King(Green Beans)and a fried chicken with peanut sauce(I get just the chicken, and make my own sauce). During the evenings there is also a mussel, and a shrimp dish as well.

At 8 minutes, I've got my two plates, grabbed my sauces, and have started eating:

Since we eat fairly quickly, we can usually polish off everything in about 20 minutes:

Not bad, a meal under 15 bucks, and your out in under 25 minutes. Unless you really get mesmerized by those Soy Sauce Eggs.

It's not fine dining Thai by any means. But it's fast, and tasty, and much better then some of the cheap Chinese Buffets, and way better then many Chinese Fast Food options. At least everything does not taste the same and use the same "sauce". When we're in a rush, or really hungry and can't wait. We often times will drop by Thai Cafe.

Thai Cafe
4722 Clairemont Mesa Blvd
San Diego, CA 92117

Lunch Buffet – $6.50

Dinner Buffet – $8.99

Merry Christmas!

December 24, 2005 mmm-yoso Blog

If you’re like us, you’ve been running around, buying, wrapping, and delivering…buying, wrapping, and delivering….

But I just wanted to wish everyone a most Merry and Safe Christmas.

One of my favorite items, is the Oatmeal/Raisin Cookies that a really good friend of ours makes.

Those that know me are aware that I really don’t care for "sweets". But this is one of my weaknesses. Just great, old-fashioned cookies, that she does so well. A few years ago, she found out that I really enjoy these; and nowadays, in addition to a "tin" of assorted wonderful cookies, she makes me a "tin" of all oatmeal! Here’s to wonderful, thoughtful friends! I have to be careful not too eat too many though…ahem, there’s alot of roughage in oatmeal! LOL!

Merry Christmas!

Ray’s Mexican Restaurant – And the Post That Didn’t Want to Be….

December 21, 2005 mmm-yoso Mexican Restaurants, Taco Shops

Ray’s is a neighborhood taco shop located on El Cajon Boulevard, whose delivery service is very popular with one of the Departments that the Missus works with. Everytime she’s there they order from Ray’s, but it’s always been delivery, and the funny thing is, none of them have ever set foot, nor do they even really know where "Ray’s" is located. I guess it’s called legacy ordering. Maybe once in the past a former Employee was a regular customer of Ray’s and would always place an order, and said practice has perpetuated itself, now becoming a ritual.

That said, trying to create a post about Ray’s has been the bane of my existence. On our first visit I forgot my camera, and thus you missed a very tasty Birria(Goat) Soup, nice tomato flavor and slightly spicy, though a little short on the goat meat. The Missus had the house specialty Mojarra($5.99), which turned out to be a whole deep fried Tilapia(I thought it was a kind of ocean perch, but found out later that the term is also used for Tilapia), served with beans, rice, salsa fresca, and tortillas. I must say, even though I really don’t like tilapia, the fish was fried perfectly, crunchy on the outside, with a moist interior, and not muddy tasting at all.

Then last week, I had finished my post on Ray’s and Typepad crashed…….. So now like a Phoenix, or at least a Tilapia, my Ray’s post has risen from the ashes. No thanks to Typepad though. I had to recreate it from scratch.

What really keeps those people ordering from Ray’s is the Carne Asada and the Shredded Beef. And on our next visit, the Missus ordered Soft Shredded Beef Tacos($3.95), with no cheese(go figure):

Nicely moist and slightly stewed shredded beef filled some corn tortillas. Unlike other versions, these were quite tasty, and with the provided Salsa Verde these were nice a flavorful. Tomato and oregano flavors stood out. I have gotten used to cabbage in my tacos though, and have a problem going back to lettuce…..

She also ordered the Carne Asada Nacho Deluxe($5.50), with no sour cream and other stuff(sigh….)

The Carne Asada at Ray’s is fairly tasty, with nice lime overtones. Though not grilled I still enjoy the Carne Asada here more then Santana’s.

I ordered the Texas Burrito($3.99), something I first heard about from Howie of A Foodie’s-Eye View.

Basically Pollo Asado ("Grilled" Chicken), Potatoes (most version have french fries, but these had cubed potatoes), Salsa Fresca, Sour Cream, and Guacamole. Actually very tasty, and slightly artery hardening. Though moist, I found the chicken to be not as flavorful as the carne asada(of course, you dummy…). The potatoes were nicely salted and fried, and is of course a starch, ’nuff said. And need I to say, quite filling.

On our next visit the Missus tried the Fish Tacos($3.95):

Ordered no sauce and no cheese, just bleh….we’ll stick with El Zarape.

The 3 Rolled Tacos($1.95):

We ordered 1 Beef, 1 Chicken, and 1 Potato. I guess this is great if you got two bucks and are really hungry. There ain’t much in them taquitos, only the potato tasted like anything.

My advice? Stick with the Carne Asada Burrito($3.75), maybe a bit on the salty side, but at least not bland. Make sure you get the "green"(salsa verde) salsa, tangy and spicy.

Or maybe the Mojarra. Ray’s is a good example of a San Diego neighborhood taco shop. Perhaps not outstanding, but with good prices, and some pretty good food.

When the Missus mentioned to Ray’s "Satellite Customers" that she had actually been here, they had one major question; was it a dump, what did it look like? Ray’s is definitely not a dump. The interior is well lit and clean. Service is very efficient. And the one Gentleman always working (Ray?) is very nice and friendly. Yep, that’s Ray’s a nice neighborhood Taco Shop.

Now hopefully this post will finally see the light of day…..

Ray’s Mexican Restaurant
2885 El Cajon Blvd
San Diego, CA 92104

Open Daily from 8am to 10 pm.