I’d just thought I’d do a quick get well soon post for Clare of Eat Stuff, who’s been Admitted to the Hospital due to an unfortunate incident. Take care, and best wishes for a complete recovery!
Author: mmm-yoso
Pearl
**** Pearl has closed
Having already visited the "Convoy Dim Sum" trinity of Emerald, China Max, and Jasmine, with mixed results, not to mention a horrible experience at Lucky Star. We decided to finally retry Pearl in Rancho Bernardo:
We'd first set foot here back in '04 when they first opened. At that time I thought they took a back seat to their sister restaurant Emerald; but based on recent comments here, I was made to believe that Pearl has overtaken Emerald.
We arrived and were immediately seated:
And in a flash we had tea, ice water, and the first carts arrived! Needless to say, I was impressed. We got some shrimp and chive dumplings:
These were very tasty with a nice shrimp and chive flavor, though the wrappers were a bit dry, but not a bad start.
Vegetarian Bean Curd Roll:
These rolls were filled with bamboo shoots and cloud ears fungus, the soy based broth was so very rich, and the chilies added a mild heat. These were excellent, both in taste and texture.
Fried Chive and Shrimp Dumplings, one of my favorites:
These were cold, which made them taste somewhat greasy, and the shrimp rubbery. I also noticed that these dumplings were somewhat smaller then I'm used to seeing, although there were 4 of them instead of the usual 3.
Shrimp Cheong Fun:
We really noticed the size difference with this dish. Though the noodle was cooked perfectly, slightly chewy, with a nice "pull" to it. These were quite small, and only had 2 small shrimp in each. About this time I noticed something; all these hard working servers were smiling; our water was being refilled on a regular basis. I really only needed to make eye-contact with a Dim Sum Lady, and she would make her way to our table. I was in total shock, was there some mind-altering hallucinogenic substance in my tea?
I was snapped out of my trance by the next cart with the Beef Tripe:
Now this was the tripe I remembered from Emerald, nice and crunchy, with a slight amount of heat from the chilies, in a slightly chicken flavored broth. Very nice!
Chao Zhou Dumplings:
These dumplings are a real challenge. In many cases the wrapper is not cooked correctly, and ends up being a sticky mess, with all the filling(chopped bamboo shoot, etc) falling all over the place. Not in this case, though. These were cooked well, and there were nice whole dried shrimp in each dumpling. Very well done.
At about this time, one of the Waiters came up to use and asked if everything was alright. What!!! In a move that I thought was tempting fate; the Missus mentioned that she hasn't seen any Fried Taro (Taro Gok). The Waiter quickly asked one of the "Ladies" something; turned to us, and said "We don't have any right now, but we can make some for you, how many would you like…." As soon as I was able to pick my jaw up off the floor, I choked out "Just one will be fine…".
As the Waiter left we were immediately scanning the room; this service made us really want to get more Dim Sum. Wait A Minute! That's what it was; Pearl was using "reverse psychology" to try and get us to order more Dim Sum!
Tofu in Chili Sauce:
Beautiful aren't they? But these are best admired from a distance. This had to be the sweetest chili sauce I've ever had. In fact, I couldn't taste anything for a while after eating this. Ick!
The Missus flagged down the dessert cart and got some desserts:
You'll have to ask the Missus how they were.
She said they were "just okay", before inhaling them……
Our blessed Fried Taro Ball:
These were brought to our table piping hot! Though on the smallish side each one of these were topped with Masago (Flying Fish Eggs), which added a nice saltiness, and hid a scallop inside! The pork and taro filling was mixed to the perfect ratio. These were among the best I've eaten – delici-yoso!!!
We also got Sticky Rice Wrapped in Lotus Leaf:
These were also on the small side, though like most everything else; was done very well. About this time the Waiter walked up to our table, and apologized for taking so long with the taro. Welcome to the Twilight Zone! Are we really eating Dim Sum? The Waiter also asked us if he could get us anything else….why? Because if you buy ten dishes you get two free!!! Amazing…. We ended up getting another order of sticky rice to go. The damage? $36.91, not bad really.
The last most surprising thing happened while I was waiting for the Missus, who needed to visit the Restroom before we left.
While I was standing "holding up the wall". One of the Waiters walked up to me. The little voice in my head went "oh-oh, here's where we come back to reality…" But he just wanted to make sure we got our free Dim Sum, and struck up a conversation, telling me to come back for dinner, and started showing me the "specials". He surely thought that I was a bit strange, looking back and forth. I was searching for the "hidden cameras".
Needless to say; this is the best service I've ever had in a Dim Sum establishment. It's as if the Dim Sum God was trying to make amends for all the lousy and mediocre Dim Sum experiences we've had recently. I'm going to have to return, to see if history will repeat itself!
In a nutshell Pearl on this visit provided excellent service, good Dim Sum with a contemporary flair.
Pearl Chinese Cuisine
11666 Avena Place
San Diego, CA 92128
Hawaiian Express BBQ
A few months ago, this Hawaiian BBQ was brought to my attention by Jack & Terry R., two readers of this blog. So one day a few weeks ago I had the chance to drop by Hawaiian Express BBQ.
This Hawaiian BBQ is located in the Food Court of Plaza Bonita Shopping Center in National City. I’m sure you’ll find it; just look for the bright "neon". The menu contains two interesting "characteristics". First, there are no "mini" plates, they have been replaced by "Medium"($4.49-4.99) plates. Call it a marketing move I guess. Secondly, there are a few items on the menu that are somewhat unique. A Fries, Cheese, and BBQ plate(fries, cheese, and BBQ chicken???) and Walnut Shrimp stand out.
Jack and Terry recommended the BBQ short ribs here, so I definitely had to give those a try. I got a "medium" BBQ Short Rib plate($4.49):
This was a pretty large mini…ooops, I mean "medium" plate. It included one scoop of rice, a useless bland egg roll, and the absolute worst macaroni salad I’ve ever had. Note to plate lunch makers; macaroni salad has mayo in it! But the ribs made up for the salad, they were thicker and alot more tender then the usual Hawaiian BBQ ribs. Usually at L&L, the ribs are cut very thin and are tough as a rubber slipper, with pieces of inedible gristle. These were very soft and tender. The marinade could probably be flavored better, these were a bit on the bland side, but overall were pretty good.
I also ordered a Medium Chicken Katsu($4.49):
The first thing I noticed when I opened this, was the lack of any "katsu sauce". Instead there was some liquid poured over the chicken. The fairly large portion of chicken was cooked well, but the semi-sweet sour sauce poured over the katsu made the pieces soggy, and really did not taste very good.
If I’m in the area, I’d try Hawaiian Express BBQ again. I’d lose the salad and egg rolls, and add another scoop of rice if I can. The service is typical food court, manned by indifferent students (unless you’re their friends, they get great attentive service!), but is adequate. Prices of "Large" plates range from $5.99-$7.99, portions are large, and prices are pretty good.
Hawaiian Express BBQ
3030 Plaza Bonita Rd (In the Plaza Bonita Food Court)
National City, CA 91950
Thanks for the recommendation Jack & Terry!
Yuma Part 4 – Breakfast & Tourist Stuff
After a great dinner, I spent the evening watching Football in my room at the Best Western Mo(tor Ho)tel. I got up the next morning and walked on over to the office to check out. The Lady at the front counter seemed absolutely shocked that I didn’t take advantage of the "free breakfast" voucher. Honestly, I can get eggs, bacon, and hash browns anywhere. I had something else in mind:
Tacos Mi Rancho, sits almost right across the street from the Best Western, and I was looking forward to getting some Birria(goat). I stepped into this crowded little restaurant and sidled up to the counter and had a seat.
I could see plates fly past me, the breakfast crowd seamed to be a ravenous bunch! Unfortunately, no Birria yet this morning, so I ordered a Lengua Taco($1.99), and a Taco Al Pastor($1.79).
What arrived were two tacos packed with meat, cabbage, onions, salsa fresca, and cilantro. The lengua(beef tongue) taco, is not really what you think. It’s soft and moist stewed and shredded beef tongue. This taco had a mild beef flavor, the cabbage added crunch, and the onions and cilantro gave the taco some "punch". The only challenge with this taco was the amount of "stuff" piled on the little corn tortillas, eating became a real battle as meat and vegetables kept falling out on the plate with every bite. In the end, there was more taco filling on the plate as was in the taco when I started, not really a bad thing I suppose. I guess that’s why they gave me a fork and spoon with the tacos!
The Tacos Al Pastor had a generous amount of meat, along with the same toppings as the lengua. The pork in this case was alot drier then the version I had the day before. The Al Pastor meat was very aggressively seasoned and the "chili" taste came through front and center. I ended up eating half of the taco filling off the plate, as filling spilled everywhere with every bite.
If I were to compare the tacos of the day before with the ones at Mi Rancho, I’d say that Mi Rancho’s tacos have alot more "stuff" and they deliver a much more "polished" product. The taco stands meats were more moist, and I thought the true taste of the source meat (i.e. beef) really came through. Much of it could be due to the "ambiance", but I enjoyed the stand tacos more. That’s not to say that Mi Rancho’s tacos are bad, they’re quite good!
Tacos Mi Rancho
188 S 4th Ave
Yuma, AZ 85364
As I left with a full belly, I decided to take in one tourist site in Yuma; the Yuma Territorial Prison State Historic Park.
Located on a bluff above the remains of the Colorado River, this facility was in use between 1876 and 1909. The guard tower is one of the original structures still standing:
During the 33 year period of use, 3069 prisoners, of which 29 were women, were incarcerated here for crimes ranging from polygamy to murder.
Even though it was 9am, the temperature was already nearly 80 degrees F. I could only imagine what it would be like here during the summer, when temperatures exceed 100 degrees.
Crime does not pay……..
One final item. If you’re driving East on Interstate 8, say maybe to Tucson, or Sedona, and have a sudden craving for a Spam® Musubi, you’re in luck!
Take the 16th Street exit and turn into the Yuma Palms Regional Center. And believe it or not, you’ll find Yuma’s Hawaiian BBQ. Just goes to further support my belief that Hawaiian BBQ will soon take over the world!
Royal Mandarin – An “Ab-cee-dee” Fry-O-Rama
We've developed a term for restaurants like Royal Mandarin. We call them "ABCDE", that's pronounced "Ab-cee-dee", otherwise known as "American Born Chinese Dining Establishment". You know those places, no chopsticks to be found; when you ask for them and old drawer will be opened and wooden chopsticks delivered. Royal Mandarin is such a place:
Located on busy Plaza Boulevard, Royal Mandarin serves a mix of ABCDE and Chinoy type of Chinese Food. As is typical with many of these restaurants when you enter, it's as if you've stepped into a time warp; the decor screams 60's Chinese Food. This quite non-descript storefront is deceptive. Many times the restaurant is packed to the gills.
The menu here is similar to other ABCDE restaurants; namely Mandarin Canton and Golden Chopsticks. So today instead of heading over to Golden Chopsticks, we drove one block East to Royal Mandarin. We started with an order of Upside Down Crispy Noodles($7.50):
I've explained my quest for "Cake Noodles" in previous posts, and really didn't expect anything close. And was proven right again. These were just deep fried noodle cakes, with stir fried veggies, shrimp, and beef in a brown sauce, which in this case was pretty tasteless. The broccoli was cooked to perfection, cooked completely through, and still crunchy.
Salted Pepper Shrimp without Shell ($9.95), probably the most expensive dish on the menu:
These shelled and deveined shrimp were dusted with flour and deep fried, instead of being heavily battered like we're used to. So we approached this with some doubt. But the shrimp were very tasty, not overly salty, slightly sweet, and the shrimp were cooked to perfection. A good rule of thumb for restaurants like these; "when in doubt, go for the fried." If they can't do fried well, they can't do anything.
After this visit, I found out that Royal Mandarin is one of the "players" in the Best Salt and Pepper Chicken Wings sweepstakes. In fact we saw trays, and in one case a whole cart of wings leaving the premises while we ate. There is a general consensus(maybe urban legend) that the "original" Salt and Pepper Chicken Wings were first served here. So armed with this info we paid Royal Mandarin another visit.
We started with the Classic ABCDE dish, a favorite of the Missus, Wor Wonton Soup for Two($4.50):
This soup was not half bad, the broth was much better then the usual tasteless watery broth. There was nice plump shrimp and several wonton, bamboo shoots, button mushrooms, and spinach.
And of course those Salt and Pepper Chicken Wings ($6.25):
These have the same "crack-like" addictiveness as the version at Golden Chopstick. This version has less of the garlic-green onion mixture and the chicken is placed on the top of the mixture instead of visa-versa. If I were to do a comparison, I'd say, the RM's wings are more crunchy, obviously from more cornstarch, there are more drumettes instead of wing pieces, and have a more balanced flavor. GS's version has much more "punch", and alot more of the delici-yoso garlic-green onion "topping".
The real hit of the meal was the Salt and Pepper Fish Fillet($7.95):
The batter on the slices of fish had a texture between a beer and tempura batter; crunchy, light, very tasty; and the fish was so moist. Three fried salt and pepper dishes, three different batters. This was by far the best.
Now the guilt kicked in. And in our weakness we went against our normal strategy and ordered Buddha's Delight($5.50):
Blech! This vegetable dish was very bland, though the veggies were cooked well, this was a waste.
Here are a few other fried from other visits.
Salt and Pepper White Meat Chicken($5.95):
Can you say Salt and Pepper McNuggets? Too dry, same batter as fish fillet, but doesn't work here. Very bland. The price – it's cheaper then the Chicken Wings should have been a clue!
Salt and Pepper Tofu($5.25):
Though a textural delight – cubes of tofu are deep fried were nice and crunchy outside, creamy inside; this dish would be better served with a sauce. Served in this manner it tasted rather bland. Can you say Tsoh(stinky) Tofu without the smell! Funny thing, on this visit our waitress thought the Missus was Filipino, but thought I'd want chopsticks because I was "Korean", after she found out the Missus was Chinese, they had some very nice conversations in Mandarin. The Missus noticed that a combination of Cantonese and Mandarin was spoken by the Employees. As we were leaving, we noticed a whole aluminum tray of Wings(60 pieces – just $17) sitting on a Lazy Susan on one of the tables with other dishes. There were 8 people just totally "grinding" on the wings, my kind of people! Why bother with plates – just give me a tray; I can deal with that! Also, as we were driving home, we noticed, no thirst, no swelling, it seemed that the amount of MSG in the food is pretty low, which I found to be strange considering the type of dishes we selected.
So the next time you're at a Filipino party in San Diego and the Salt and Pepper Chicken Wings are brought out, you can be pretty sure they've come from either Mandarin Canton, Golden Chopsticks, or Royal Mandarin. And when faced with an ABCDE, go first with the fried. If they can't do fried, I'm pretty sure they can't do anything!
If I can get some volunteers, I'll be willing to do a Salt and Pepper Chicken Wing tasting. Any takers?
Royal Mandarin Restaurant
1132 E. Plaza Blvd
National City, CA 91950
Yuma Part 3 – Dinner
After hitting Ranch 49.5 Market, Ed dropped me off at 315pm to "freshen up", telling me he'd be back at 430 for dinner! And there he was at 430 on the nose. When I mentioned that I'm still a bit full, Ed laughed and said, "I've seen those meals on your site, I know how much you can eat, I've seen the Sam Woo post." I had to remind Ed that the post was actually THREE MEALS, not one! We drove back down 8th Street, scene of the first part of our Taco Truck Crawl. A bit further down the road there was a small stand in what looked like a former garage, across a patch of maybe lettuce, or broccoli – Ed said pick either one and you'd have a 50% chance of being right. The name of the stand was El Nayarita, named after the coastal region of Nayarit.
We got our ice chest out of the back of the car, and had a seat at one of the lawn furniture tables. We were a bit early and Ed's friends had not arrived. So we popped a few cervezas and Ed ordered a dozen Empanadas. What arrived were what looked like deep fried folded tortillas. Though these were bright red in color:
Ed theorizes that achiote, and perhaps some other seasonings were folded into the masa, before these were stuffed with shrimp and deep fried. Topped with some salsa verde and a squeeze of 
lime, these empanadas were delici-yoso! Crunchy, slightly spicy, with nice plump shrimp, this was simply amazing. The groups on the other tables were having Seafood "Cocteles" and wonderful looking Seafood Tostada's topped with a large amount of chopped octopus and shrimp. I on the other hand, was really busy scarfing down my empanada(s).
Soon Ed's friends started arriving, and the orders started "flying". 2 dozen more empanadas, fish tacos, shrimp tacos, seafood salad, seafood cocteles, all taken by a very pleasant, smiling Young Lady. Ed and I split an order of fish, and an order of shrimp tacos.
In each flour tortilla either a battered shrimp or battered fish filet was placed with some cabbage and salsa. A squirt of white sauce completed the taco.
The tacos were good, though I must say that I've had tacos just as good in San Diego. The tacos were delivered to the table wrapped in foil, causing them to not be as crunchy as they could have been.
Fairly soon the sun went down in the horizon, and in what seemed a heartbeat the coolers were empty and the kitchen had run out of empanadas. As I stepped out to take this picture the Young Lady who did a fine job waiting on us asked me if I enjoyed my meal. My guess is that there aren't to many Asian customers at this fine little food oasis.
I'd like to express my sincere thanks to Greg & Loidene, Chip & Betsy, and Chris for the fine conversation and laughs. None more funny then when Loidene looked at the photo's in my camera and asked me, "Don't you take pictures of anything else, except food?" And of course a very grateful Mahalo to Ed, for ferrying me around and showing me a great time in Yuma.
As we left the stand and drove up 8th Street I could see an ocean of headlights making their way down 8th Street. The long, hard workday over, the customers, mostly Latino, many Migrant Workers and Laborers were finally ready to start their weekend. We passed what was an empty lot with a banner with "Corona" written on it during the afternoon, had suddenly been transformed into a "hotspot". I could hear the music blaring, blue and red disco lights spinning, strobe light blinking, and most of all, see the large Al Pastor turning on the vertical spit.
I turned to Ed and said "This is pretty neat!"
Ed turned to me and said "Damn, I forgot to order the whole fried fish!"
Leave it to him to put things into perspective!
I've got one more post on Yuma, which I'll do on Friday. Tomorrow it's back to San Diego…..
Yuma Part 2 – Taco Stands and Some “Errands”
As we pulled out of Tio Juan’s lot, I suddenly thought about the weather! Ah, yes, the weather, a nice 80 degrees, with no wind. I mentioned this to Ed, who said, "you, picked a good day, this is about as good as it gets here".
We drove further up 8th Street, and noticed a Taco Stand set-up in the parking lot of this meat market:
So Ed parked, and took me on an little tour of the Market. But of course, this was about tacos. So Ed paid for two tacos, and took the receipt outside:
What Ed got were 2 Tacos Al Pastor, or "Shepard-style tacos". According to the interesting story; Lebanese immigrants brought with them Middle-Eastern style of grilling meat, mostly lamb, on a vertical spit. Eventually this was adapted by Mexicans, who marinate pork, and also apply a dry rub, usually grilling the meat on a vertical spit, topped with a slices of pineapple. The final product is a slightly spicy, red meat:
At this location, the meat is obviously grilled, and placed by the Young Lady on top of corn tortilla’s. You grab your tacos and walk over to a metal "cooler" and add whatever "garnish" you want. In this case Ed added shredded cabbage, and a nice salsa. You could clearly taste the nice "spice" and slightly smokey taste. The meat was nicely balanced, moist and tender. I was starting to understand the "other" part of eating a taco; that is the melding of textures, the soft and slightly chewy tortilla, the moist and tender meat, and the crunchy cabbage. This was a "new" location for Ed as well; He usually takes a "right" at the intersection before this market. And it actually has an address:
El Toro Meat Market
1007 W 8th St
Yuma, AZ 85364
The next stop? Ed’s favorite Meat Market, Coronado’s on 24th street. We finally saw some "Gringo’s" here grabbing a burrito, otherwise, we were the only "Gringo’s", well maybe I’m closer to a "JA-ngo" :
Though Ed shops here often; he had never tried the tacos from the market’s stand:
What we got here were two Cabeza Tacos. Literally "head" tacos; traditionally made from the head of a cow, that is steamed overnight, then shredded and mixed with the beef drippings(broth). Ed told me that these are very popular in Sonora, and most versions in Yuma are made with Beef "cheek". I’m assuming he meant the "cheeks" on the head side of the cow….
The moist stewed meat was placed on corn tortillas, Ed placed some cabbage and salsa fresca on top. The moist meat made this a somewhat ponderous taco. Oh, how did it taste? Delici-yoso!!! If one could condense "beef" taste into one bite, this is what it should taste like! Totally awesome. I asked Ed how he liked it? His response? "I’m almost ready to do a delici-yoso dance over this one." Perfect textures, for perfect beef. I’m basically at a loss for words over this.
Yuma Market Coronado’s
890 E 24th St
Yuma, AZ
Before dropping me off to "freshen up" before dinner, we went on a little side trip. Need Kim Chee in Yuma? Well the only place is the Oriental Gift Shop:
This little store is stuffed with everything from souvenirs and lucky bamboo, to health products, to asian food products. And according to Ed, on Saturday afternoon Kim Chee is delivered from Los Angeles, so he had to make sure he got a bottle. This is Yuma’s only Asian General Store, I jokingly called it Ranch 49.5 Market. The Korean Proprietor laughed when we asked when a Korean BBQ was going to open up in Yuma!
Oriental Gift Shop
1701 S Ave B Ste 107
Yuma, AZ 85364
Next – Dinner in Yuma! Stay tuned….
Yuma Part 1 – The “Taco Truck” Tour
*** Ed from Yuma has an update on Yuma Taco Trucks, you can find it here.
Earlier this year Ed from Yuma, and I were having one of our dinners and I broached the subject of a possible visit. At first Ed's response was, "huh"? But after pondering this for a while, Ed had come up with an idea. Ed has enjoyed some of Yuma's best Mexican Food at various Taco Stands and Trucks, and thought we should do a "Taco Truck Crawl". Ed's been wanting to this for a while, but couldn't find any takers. This sounded really good to me, I know next to nothing about Mexican Food, other then the "something" – Berto type Taco Stands we have here in San Diego.
We scheduled the visit during an open weekend on Ed's schedule; and so here I was fulfilling a very strange fantasy. You see, I often pass the 161 miles to Yuma sign on the 8 Freeway, always tempting me to "just keep driving" until I get "there". The drive took a shade over 2 hours, and was not what I expected. I'd assumed that El Centro, and all of the points East of San Diego was just desolate desert, but was changed as I passed all the fields of green. I got to Yuma at about 1115, and Ed picked me up in the Best Western Motel parking lot at 1130, and we were off.
It seems that there is an abundance of Taco Trucks in an area down 8th street in Yuma. There are literally empty lots lined with trucks around the perimeter. Many of these "shops" don't open until after sunset. Probably because most of their clientele works during the day, whether in the fields, or other manual labor, we also joked that the Dept of Health closes at 5 as well. Not very many "Gringo's" here. Ed wanted to take me to a specific Truck. So we drove down 8th avenue, which is being repaved. I thought the rough dirt road added a definite ambiance to the whole "event".
The specialty here is Caguamanta – Stingray Soup. Ed explained that dried salted Manta ray fillets are rinsed and re-hydrated I'd imagine much like bacalao, and cooked in a tomato based broth, with onions, celery, and other vegetables. The taste is somewhat briny and oceany; Ed describes it as a sting ray Manhattan Chowder. The stingray meat is slightly dense, not as tender at a fish fillet, but much more tender then the usual piece of rubbery clam that you'd get in a chowder. There is a nice bit of spice, and the cilantro and onions equate to a somewhat bracing flavor. You get a 12oz cup of soup, and either 2 corn tortillas or tortilla chips with your soup. Actually
, I'd have loved a bowl of rice with this!
While waiting, I took look around the lot. There were several other trucks; some of them looked mobile, others looked like they were towed and left on the site. All of them were painted with the "specialties of the house". I turned to Ed and told him, "I know what this is, it's a food court!"
None of these "shops" were open; some were grilling meat in preparation for the "dinner rush". We came up to a truck on the corner of Eleanor and 8th that was open:
Unfortunately, they were out of everything that Ed tried to order. So we settled for 2 carne asada tacos. These were just ho-hum, I've had better before. But the one thing I noticed was that shredded cabbage was used instead of lettuce, and everything is with corn tortillas, not flour.
As we drove up 8th Street, Ed saw this sign and made a sudden turn into the gravel lot:
In this lot was a trailer, a counter with seafood in ice alongside a concrete "pad" covered with a tarp. Ed placed his order, and in a few minutes, this was delivered:
This large chalice contained a wonderful seafood cocktail. If it's in the ocean, it was in this. Chock full of shrimp, squid, octopus, scallops, great tasting oysters, cucumbers, celery, onion, all in a refreshing clamato and tomato water broth. But the item that surprised me the most was this:
In case you're not sure. Yep, that's abalone, there were at least 5 slices of nice sweet abalone in 
this goblet, amazing! The broth was just mild enough to add a little taste to all of the seafood. This was fabulous! I also discovered a hot sauce that I really enjoyed, Bufalo Jalapeno Hot Sauce.
Needless to say, we left with smiles on our faces. And lunch isn't over yet! And there's still dinner! STAY TUNED.
To Be Continued…..
Here Today, Gone To…….
Yep, I’m gone on a short overnight road trip. Seems like us Bloggers get all the food, fun, and travel. I mean Reid goes to San Francisco and Seattle; Angie goes to Italy, Dylan goes to Hawaii; Pam’s in San Fran as well. MEalcentric got us all beat, Thailand and Vietnam, in one fell swoop. There’s even rumor that Sarah is going to Chicago.
So where does mmm-yoso, go?
Well due to current Corporate Budget constraints……I go to Yuma, that’s right, I’m on my way to Yuma. After all, as the Yuma Convention and Visitors Bureau says:
"Our clean air affords residents and visitors alike a year
round vista of surrounding rugged mountains."
Yes, I’m going of my own free will! I even found a Yuma based food blog.
Seriously, I’ve always seen that 180 miles to Yuma sign on the 8 Freeway, and am curious about what’s in Yuma. So I’m meeting up with that Mythical Figure, Ed from Yuma, he of the amazing Delici-yoso dance. I’m sure he’ll find me some interesting eats in Yuma.
Here today, gone to Yuma!!! I’ll be back tomorrow!
"Rollin, rollin, rollin. Keep movin, movin, movin,
Though they’re disapprovin, keep them doggies movin Rawhide"
Fry-Day Miscellaniea
I thought I’d just post some of what we ate this past week, when we didn’t go out. Back in September I picked up a bag of "Korean Pancake Mix" from Hannam Chain Market World in Diamond Bar. This past week I decided to actually make an attempt to make this.
So when I finally read the instructions, I was a bit surprised. It was truly, just add water and mix! Here’s the first one I made; Shrimp and Green Onion:
It was pretty good, though a little "gummy" in the middle. What ended up happening is that I increased the amount of water, and it turned out great. Though there’s no picture, my favorite, is thinly sliced onion, bean sprouts, furikake, and…..Spam! It tasted great, and Furikake adds a nice saltyness, the onions and sprouts added nice texture. I hope I didn’t insult anyone with my choice of ingredients. I was so amazed how easy this was. Oh, and why did I pick this brand? Well, it was the only package with English instructions. If there are any recommendations out there, please let me know! BTW, my next one is going to be Portuguese Sausage……
I finally had the Okahara Saimin that I purchased from Orient Bowl/First Korean Market.
And yes, that’s Spam again. After all I didn’t want to waste what was leftover from the pancakes, right? I hadn’t had Okahara’s for at least 5 or 6 years, and found that the "dashi" flavor was alot more pronounced then I remember. Probably due to several years of eating Ramen. I really enjoyed the flavor, I’ve probably missed this on some sub-conscious level. The noodles were firm, and the broth very flavorful.
The change in weather always wears me down a bit. I just felt a bit lethargic, and really just wanted some "comfort food". And that little craving voice in my head was requesting a BBQ Beef Sandwich from Rainbow Drive In. It really wasn’t realistic to make a marinade, etc…. So what to do? I drove down to Zion Market, and bought some "10 up" Bulgogi from the Meat Department, at $4.99/lb, I thought it was a bargain. And in about 10 minutes I had my own BBQ Beef Sandwich:
Now I could’ve gotten "8 up" Bulgogi for $3.99/lb, but I thought a buck really wouldn’t make much difference, for a better quality meat. I could make 3 sandwiches for a pound of meat. Other then perhaps being too heavy on the sesame oil, the meat was so very tender and flavorful. I thought it was pretty delici-yoso!! Who knows, maybe I’ll start seeing Bulgogi Sandwiches on menus soon?
So just some really simple food for Friday……
Oh, and did you read the BBC article on what could ‘cure bird flu?’
Have good weekend!