As in, yoso-silly, yoso-hungry, yoso-full, or best of all; mmm-delici-yoso!!!!! A San Diego based food and travel blog. An Ex-Pat Kama'aina and Friends explore food, restaurants, and travel from San Diego and points beyond.
I’m not sure which “FOY” mentioned that Zen Modern Asian Bistro had moved from Sabre Springs to the Del Mar Highlands Sky Deck…perhaps it was Dereck or RD?
Anyway, after my rather unsatisfying bowl of NRM from Dao Xiang, along with the cooler weather; I thought it would be a great time to make the drive up the 5 and check out the Sky Deck, which Cathy has been to…but I’ve only visited the Jimbo’s in this mall.
It’s a large if rather dark space; very hip in that “you know it’s Del Mar” kinda way…..
Zen is just to the left of the entrance.
It’s got a bit of a sports bar look to it along with a dining area. It’s interesting to see that the doors to the kitchen area are automatic ones.
The young man brought me the menu; though I already knew what I was going to order.
And oh my, the NRM is now $22 and adding the suan cai is another $1!
And soon enough my order arrived. That bowl of NRM was quite large!
In many ways; it’s basically the same as I had at the previous location.
Not overly salty, mild beefiness, light soysauce, light richness, in need for more aggressive anise-beefiness for my taste.
In what was an improvement over what I’d had before was that the beef was nice and tender and full of savory-beefiness. And there was quite a lot of meat!
The noodles still lacked springiness and also didn’t do a great job of “picking up” the broth.
There’s a good amount of bok choy….in case you’re worried about getting some “veggies”!
As Dereck and RD both indicated; the must have item is the suan cai, the pickled greens.
There’s a bracing sour-tanginess to it. And while it may be slightly on the sweeter end of the spectrum to me, it really boosted the overall flavor of the broth when I dumped it into the bowl.
Overall not bad….better than many other versions in San Diego. And while it may be better than other versions, I’m not sure the price tag and the drive is worth it for me. Still, I’m glad to have tried the NRM here at the new location of Zen
Zen Modern Asian Bistro (In the Sky Deck at Del Mar Highlands Town Center) 12841 El Camino Real Suite 206 San Diego, CA 92130 Current Hours: Mon – Thurs 10am – 9pm Friday 10am – 10pm Saturday 11am – 10pm Sunday 11am – 9pm
Just about a month after we returned from our two week road trip up to Mendicino, we were back on the road again. This time to where the Missus wanted to go, Mammoth Lakes. One great thing I found out was that The Westin Monache Resort, Mammoth Lakes is dog friendly. And it was right across the street from the Village at Mammoth, which had a variety of restaurants. We’d been to the area around Old Mammoth Road before and really hadn’t enjoyed ourselves.
We decided to make an overnight stop in Lone Pine to rest up before heading to Mammoth. So, I got us a night at the Dow Villa Hotel. This was back in June, so it was pretty darn hot already in Lone Pine. We checked in and basically just stayed in air conditioned comfort. When dinner time rolled around we just wanted to eat in the back garden area of the motel. It was too hot for JJ, so I walked the four blocks up to the Tacos Los Hermanos Truck. I was in a rush so I didn’t take photos of the truck which is on the corner of North Main and Willow Streets. I hustled back to the Dow Villa and we had dinner in the shaded public area behind the offices.
I got us four tacos, Adobada, CArne Asada, Buche, and Cachete. The Adobada wasn’t too bad, some good smokiness, sweet tones, and not too tough. The worst was the Carne Asada which was quite tough.
The Buche was pretty chewy, but the Cachete, beef cheek was nice and beefy. The tortillas were no big deal, but the salsas pretty good and spicy.
Not too much variety in Lone Pine, so this was a decent meal.
Tacos Los Hermanos 120 E Willow St. Lone Pine, CA 93545
This is what Lone Pine looked like when I took JJ out for his 430am potty break…..
In the morning I took JJ for a short walk before things got too hot…..
And then we headed out….stopping in Bishop at Erick Schat’s Bakery which I’ve posted on twice before. The Missus ran in and got us some stuffs and we ate at the park across the street, under the trees. JJ needed the shade!
We then headed up the 395. We knew we were going to be early, so we decided to take a detour to Convict Lake and did the easy loop trail.
JJ got to try out his “boots” which we would later find that he really didn’t need.
He even saw horses for the first time and did well when they passed by!
We then headed up to Mammoth Lakes. We were still too early to check in, so we got our parking pass and headed across the road to the Village.
We walked around Village Plaza and found this sandwich and bakery along the side facing Minaret Road.
And as you might know, I’m a sucker for a club sandwich ($18.99) which seemed kinda pricy, but I added sweet potato fries (+ $1.89) which ended up being a good move.
The Missus enjoyed the sweet potato fries, which while not crisp, was quite creamy with a nice sweet and earthy flavor. The sandwich was pretty massive and this was enough for the both of us for lunch! The sourdough was fine, the turkey thinly sliced and quite moist…….. Good crisp bacon.
This would end up being our “go-to” lunch during our visits to Mammoth Lakes.
Old New York Deli & Bakery 6201 Minaret Rd. Suite 105 Mammoth Lakes, CA 93546
Soon enough we got to check in at the Westin. We enjoyed the service there…in fact, one of the Bell men is from San Diego….Bay Park! He was so nice to JJ. To get an idea of how closed we were to the Village; this is the view from our room.
And there was a lot of space for JJ to do “his thing” as well.
When dinner time came along er headed down and across the street. It was interesting to see folks who didn’t want to walk down the steps actually drive their cars around the block! We came across Shelter Distilling, they actually make many of their own spirits, have outdoor dining, and serve food. So, we thought, why not?
Of course we started with some cocktails and man were we hooked!
I think the favorite was the “Crib” which was made with Jalapeno infused Blue Agave.
So good! We actually ordered another one!
We also tried the Beet It, made with Bourbon, honey, lemon, and of course beets! It was a bit sweeter.
We liked the fact that you could actually taste the spirits and it wasn’t overly watered down or overly sweet.
As for the food…well, we weren’t impressed. The Mandarin Orange Salad ingredients were good, but the Ginger-Soy dressing didn’t have enough savory-salty-tangy tones.
Like PF Chang’s lite…..
The Crispy Confit Pork Belly Tacos was fine, but one was served on a pita? The Harissa Shrimp Taco didn’t have much of a kick.
The pork was more chewy than crisp. The pico de gallo was too mild. The Harissa Shrimp was at least served on a tortilla…which fell to pieces quickly. The shrimp was overcooked and rubbery.
On a good note, we’d found a place to have cocktails each night we were here. And I also noticed a back outdoor dining area which we enjoyed the next evening. We’d be looking to dine elsewhere…..
Shelter Distilling 100 Canyon Blvd. #217 Mammoth Lakes, CA 93546
And the Missus and JJ both were really enjoying Mammoth….
It’s funny how things sometimes work out. With the really warm weather, I was thinking of getting some poke. Of course HFS at Centerpark came to mind. But, I thought I should revisit It’s Raw in OB….of course I figured parking might be an issue, but I decided to take a shot and lucky me….I found a spot right on Santa Monica Avenue! My lucky day right? Well, not so fast my friend….
As I walked down Bacon Street….yikes; look at the line in front of It’s Raw!
I felt “raw” all right. So now what? Well, I decided to find someplace to grab a bite and this place was right across the street….
Doughboy’s Grill! I’d had heard of the place….someone; I don’t remember who had told me the Cheesesteaks there were pretty good. So, ok…..that’s plan B. I crossed the street and walked on in.
The really friendly gentleman greeted me and asked what I was interested in. There’s everything from Smashburgers to wings to pizza and even gyros! And this being OB…well, beer of course. There’s even four types of cheesesteaks. I went with the Rib Eye Cheesesteak ($14.99), with “the works” (+ $1.29).
There’s quite a bit of seating available. I decided on the counter facing Bacon Street.
Soon enough, my name was called out and my cheesesteak was ready.
Did not look like an Amoroso Roll, but the bread was soft and yeasty, kept form during the meal and went well with the cheesesteak.
The gentleman was nice enough to give me some of the Garlic-Truffle Aioli to sample. It was pretty good, mild in terms of truffle, but the savory-sweet-tangy richness went pretty well with the cheesesteak.
As for the sandwich itself; I really enjoyed the sweet-pungent caramelized onions and the tender, savory-almost slightly sweet mushrooms. The mixture of both provolone and mozzarella worked so nicely, as there were hints of the milkiness that mozzarella brings, along with a “cheesiness” of provolone.
As for the beef, well, it contributed a bit, but there wasn’t enough of it in the sandwich for my taste. What the sandwich contained was very tender though. I was told that they slice their own rib eye for this.
Still, while definitely not a classic cheesesteak to me; I did enjoy the sandwich. While I wouldn’t go out of the way to revisit, if I’m ever here again, I just might get the veggie version of the sandwich since I really enjoyed those components. A big plus was how friendly the service was.
Doughboy’s Grill 4994 Newport Ave. San Diego, CA 92107 Current Hours: Mon – Sat 11am – 9pm Sunday 11am – 8pm
On my post on revisiting Dumpling Inn; “FOY” Peter mentioned one of his favorite spots on Convoy, Lanzhou Noodlelicious….which is also a favorite of mine as well. Though strangely, I hadn’t been there in a while. So while the weather was still nice and cool….before this weird weather we’ve been having over the last couple of weeks with nights being in the 40’s and days stretching out to the mid and even high 70’s, a few days after revisiting Spicy Noodle, I decided it was time to get my “Noodlelicious fix” in.
Hard to believe that I hadn’t been here in over two years!
I visited during lunch, arriving right after the 1130 am opening time. This parking lot gets packed by noon, so the earlier the better. Man, have I really been coming here since 2016?
Anyway, over time, I have my favorite menu item, the Beef Noodle Soup with Sour Cabbage, which is now priced at $15.99. Not bad for these days.
Instead of waiting around for the “thin flat” knife cut noodles, I just went with the standard knife cut noodles, which they still make by hand.
This looked quite good! I enjoyed the abundance of sour vegetable which gave things a nice bracing counterpoint and crunchy texture. There seemed to be less beef than I recalled, but it was tender.
The broth had a bit more beefiness than what I detected on previous visit and was a bit richer as well.
The noodles were slippery and springy, doing a decent job “picking up” the broth.
All in all; this was a very nice visit! It was flavorful and comforting. The service was “all business”, but I’m used to things being that way.
Thanks for the reminder Peter!
Lanzhou Noodlelicious 4688 Convoy St. San Diego, CA 92111 Current Hours: Wed – Mon 1130am – 3pm, 5pm – 9pm Closed on Tuesday
I’d heard about Kiiro Sushi opening back in February of last year. So back in the beginning of March I decided to check the place out.
Kiiro is located next to the L&L BBQ on Sports Arena Boulevard….which I actually posted on back in…yikes 2005! I went for lunch right at 11 and the place was empty. The tables and chairs make the place seem almost cafeteria like to me?
I was greeted and seated by the nice young woman. Both she and Itamae were Hispanic which is kinda the norm these days at many places.
Looking at the menu; I noticed a lunch time bargain…the Chirashi was $21!
I thought it would be an interesting way to see how the fish was here. I also went with some Chicken Karaage….that when it arrived wasn’t just “some”; it was quite a lot.
It arrived with “spicy mayo” and I quickly noticed something about the chicken….it was white meat (i.e. chicken breast), which is not my favorite cut for karaage and it would prove to be true as the flesh was hard and dry; not especially flavorful.
The batter was lacking in crispness and fell off the pieces as I tried to eat them. The flavor wasn’t too bad, pretty straight forward soy sauce; hint of garlic….. Still, not a fan of the textures.
As for my Chirashi, well, I quickly noticed something.
It’s not only that the slices of fish were really thin; at this price point I expected that. But, it had that fish that’s banned in Japan since 1977 and also in Italy, escolar (aka white tuna) which can cause keriorrhea (aka the, ahem “orange oily leakage”)….I’ll just leave it at that. The rice was really hard, but also steaming hot, and lacking in seasoning.
You could tell this was really thin cut “saku” fish. The slices of salmon were especially thin, the maguro somewhat on the tougher side.
I didn’t expect much; but this was even less than expectations.
And of course, the Missus wouldn’t touch the leftover karaage, even after “helping it along” a bit and an air fryer session. So, I was just going to call it a day at this point. But Soo, did a nice post on the place and seemed to enjoy the kalbi? Apparently, the owners are of Korean heritage, so I thought I’d return. Though I waited several months before doing so.
I decided to try the Bulbogi and still wanting something more; went with the Tako Wasa as well.
Check out how the Tako Wasabi was served…pretty cool eh? The texture was fine, good toothsome chew. It was lacking in the pungent, sinus clearing attributes of wasabi though.
And I suddenly understood why this was served with wasabi and gari. This would be the first time I’ve ever had to add wasabi to Tako Wasabi!
As for the Bulgogi…..
Huge portion of bulgogi, huh? The rice was much better this time around.
As for the bulgogi…sigh; it had been chopped finely, was strangely mealy in texture, and over marinated and super salty.
This came with tempura, which was fine; though the batter was a bit soggy, lacking in the light and crisp texture I enjoy.
The shrimp was of decent quality, though the kabocha was undercooked and really hard.
Overall, I think I’m done with Kiiro…in spite of what’s written here. I prefer to spend a bit more for better executed food; though I’m glad I tried the place.
“Drink, Eat, Love”……..
Please let me know if stuff other than the huge list of rolls is worth trying here!
Kiiro Sushi Izakaya 3145 Sports Arena Blvd. San Diego, CA 92110 Current Hours: Sun – Thurs 11am – 1030pm Fri – Sat 11am – 1130pm
Our first day was supposed to be spent exploring Genovesa Island, famous for the abundance of birds and the Prince Philip’s Steps. The island however, was closed due to a outbreak of Avian Flu. So, the Evolve instead headed first to Santa Fe Island.
I woke early and got a nice cup of coffee on the deck. I started getting a hint of “who ran things” around these parts!
After which we got our gear on and boarded the Zodiacs.
And we headed to Barrington Bay. Santa Fe Island used to be named Barrington Island after Admiral Samuel Barrington. During our briefing the night before, we were told that the island is considered the oldest by many at over 4.5 million years old, and there’s a specific species of Land Iguana only found on Santa Fe Island.
Fabrizio, the Naturalist in our Zodiac mentioned that there’s a large colony of Sea Lions in the bay and also pointed out the first Blue Footed Boobies of the trip!
They are so cool looking, huh?
We did our wet landing and being told that there’s a large colony of Sea Lions in Barrington Bay was a bit of an understatement!
You are not allowed to touch any of the wildlife and not approach and try to stay 2 meters away from them. It was amazing to visit a place where the wildlife has no fear of humans.
The sea lions would look at you and then “bust a pose”.
And having no fear of hoo-mans meant that if you weren’t paying attention, sometimes they’d catch you in some interesting situations.
We started our nature walk and Fabrizio quickly pointed out some lizards.
These were Santa Fe Lava Lizards. The ones with the bright red throats are the females.
The island is small, just 24 square kilometers and yet, it is an amazing place to visit.
Walking along the trail we came across a Mockingbird. It was just not phased by our presence. This is of a distinct sub-species endemic to Santa Fe Island.
Can’t you just see how Darwin would have been affected by this?
And then Fabrizio pointed what we’d been waiting to see.
This is Conolophus Pallidus, more widely known as the Santa Fe Land Iguana. Endemic to Santa Fe Island……which covers just about 9 square miles! Amazing!
It just stared at us; knowing it ran the place. You know, like “get off my front lawn?”
It was so amazing to see creatures totally not fearful of humans. This male Lava Lizard was doing “push ups”, trying to attract a possible mate.
We boarded our Zodiac and headed back to Evolve, where lunch was waiting for us.
Tables set, the Concierge, Joselyn, introduced us to the Chef, and lunch.
Which we enjoyed.
After which we headed back to our room for a break before our next stop.
**** I realize that I’m waaaay behind on these posts; so I’ll try to minimize the verbiage after this post.
Being born and raised on an island is something that has stayed with me. Islands and island life fascinates me…..and of course there are those amazing places to visit. We’d already done Easter Island like almost a decade ago now. There are places that this bookworm had always dreamt of visiting. And one of them was the Galapagos. With wildlife found nowhere else in the world, where a young Charles Darwin‘s observations would lead to the theory of Evolution. Well, ’nuff said, right?
While looking at different ways of visiting, it became clear that being on a cruise would work out the best for us. The problem being that the Missus is not into cruises as a whole. Then I did some research and discovered Ecoventura, a company that does “luxury cruises” with no more than 20 passengers on board! The reviews I’d read were mostly super positive. Yes, it’s not cheap…like 10k per person double occupancy…but you only live once, right? One we decided to go with Ecoventura, we had to choose which seven day intinerary we wanted. Was it the Southern Route, with beaches, bays, and water life. Or the Northern route, the volcanic soul of the archipelago? You know which we chose, right?
We were met at the airport and transported to the dock where we to meet our Zodiac to the Evolve. Check out the Sea Lions hanging around the harbor.
This one is having a nap!
Once on board, we were greeted and shown to our suite…and yes, it was a suite. Very comfortable, with nice amenities.
The views from the room was amazing. We got our own personalized water bottles and there were kettles and Nespresso Machines in the room as well. The dining area also had all these amenities. We were also provided binoculars.
Even better was that good WiFi was also provided. Rooms were also made up each day while we were out on our tours.
Everyday, there would be an itinerary posted.
This being the first day, folks would be arriving at different times, so there was a buffet lunch available.
And the view was wonderful…..
And it gave me time to explore the yacht a bit.
It turned out that there were 17 passengers on this voyage of the Evolve. There were 13 crew. The standard tour ratio of Naturalists to guests in the Galapagos is 16 to 1….we had two Naturalists on this cruise.
Soon enough we were underway. We’d find that there was always more than enough space for one to relax and contemplate the beauty we’d see.
We had requisite emergency drill and protocols reviewed and then were fitted for our snorkeling gear.
Soon enough, our destination for the evening was in sight. And the Naturalists met the guests at the rear of the yacht.
And the lessons would begin! Man, I could written like several volumes for this trip!
That’s Leon Dormido aka “Kicker Rock”.
It’s name; Leon Dormido means Sleeping Lion which is said to resemble. Others say it resembles a foot, thus the name Kicker Rock.
It’s a volcanic Tuff Cone that has been eroded thru time, thus there’s that little channel in the split area.
FOY’s might know of another tuff cone…..named Diamond Head?
It was awesome sailing around Leon Dormido. From the sheers walls…..
To the little bays…..
It’s supposed to be a rather popular diving spot; but we’d be doing that several times along other islands during our trip. It’s quite stunning to watch as the sun sets…..
It was a great way to start our adventure!
After sunset, all the passengers met in the lounge and the crew was introduced to us by the Captain and we had a cocktail. Then we had a briefing of our destination the next morning.
We would have a briefing on our upcoming destination every evening.
And then it was dinner time. So, this being a “luxury” cruise, with under 20 people, there would be an ever changing menu each evening.
How was it? It was a mixed bag; though we appreciated the effort. With two choices for appetizers and mains, the Missus and I would get one of each every evening.
Nice presentation, but nothing particularly stood out to us during this dinner. Still, this was not typical cruise dining, right?
Tomorrow we’d be visiting Santa Fe Island and Plaza Sur.
Here are a couple of places I stopped by for a “caffeine fix”.
Local Krave (PB/Bay Ho):
Had to take the Missus’s vehicle in for servicing off Mission Bay Drive. As far as I’m concerned, trying to find a bite to eat in the area at 8-9am in the morning is a bit of a challenge. And then one day as I was coming down the 5 I noticed a shop named the Local Krave on one of the back streets in a business building. I checked the hours and took note and the next time I took the Missus’s car in for servicing, I walked on over to the corner of Bunker Hill and Del Rey Streets. Basically right across from Tango Del Rey.
The little shop was very quiet during my entire visit. There’s a counter area, a shared table and a few seats inside.
They had an interesting menu….calling their tea and coffee pour overs and drinks “Kraveman”! So, I went and had a Kraveman Pour Over – medium roast ($7.99) and needing something to munch on, the version of avocado toast called Bravocado Toast, which at $6.99 was cheaper than my coffee!
Nice head on the pour over; smooth with a good kick! Maybe I’ll try the Nitro Cold Brew next time?
As for the “Bravocado Toast”? Well, it’s served on a croissant “loaf”.
Crisp and somewhat flakey; but way too sweet for my taste. A good amount of butteriness to it though.
The bacon was chopped in slices and seemed to have been premade as it was on the soggy – chewy side. The avocado mix was fine.
Still, for $6.99 these days???? I can hopefully find a food item on the menu that I’d want to have or I may just have to hit up the taco shop on Garnet the next time.
Local Krave 3033 Bunker Hill St. San Diego, CA 92109 Current Hours: Daily 7am – 2pm
SPC (Sweet Petite Confections) Cafe:
I’d been seeing this sign while driving on Mt Acadia for a while.
Seems like Sweet Petite Confections, the little chocolate shop in the same strip mall as the Tri-Tiperia is now serving up coffee and some pastries. Even though I’ve never posted on the place….the last time stopped by was years ago for some chocolate for the Missus, I recall the couple running the place being so very nice!
So, on one of my drives with JJ to Mt Acadia Park to play fetch, I decided to stop by……not a great move because JJ don’t like to wait, if you know what I mean….he pretty much has major FOMO.
And there on the door was the sign explaining things.
They basically serve Cafe Moto Coffee, so I knew what to expect. But they also had croissants….which I had to try. I asked if they baked their own and the woman laughed and said that it’s from Lulu’s Buns which I understand is a wholesaler of pastries.
Anyway, I had a nice chat with the couple while JJ was going berserk in the car. It seems that all the construction has really hurt the businesses here….so I’m thinking I need to return.
Though it’ll be for the coffee, which was fine.
That croissant was too doughy, not laminated enough.
Though the interior was decently “honeycombed”, it was bit on the soggy side and lacking butteriness.
I’m hoping this business survives all the construction. I might need to get the Missus some chocolates from here I guess….
SPC (Sweet Petite Confections) Cafe 3582 Mt Acadia Blvd. #A San Diego, CA 92111 Current Hours: Mon – Fri 7am – 630pm Saturday 7am – 5pm Closed on Sunday
Our two week road trip up the coast was nearing an end. To break up the last two days, we were staying a night, first in Goleta, south of Santa Barbara….I was trying to stay in Carpinteria since it’s been a recommended stop, but was unable to book accommodation. Then we’d be staying a night in Temecula, before heading home.
It was a uneventful 4 hour drive from Santa Cruz to Goleta. We arrived a bit too early to check in, so I had a stop in mind. We decided to stop and do a nice little walk/hike at Ellwood Bluffs and the Ellwood Beach Loop. There’s a Monarch Butterfly preserve, but it was the wrong season for that.
Some nice wide open trails and also views from the bluffs.
After our nice little walk, we headed back to the main drag in Goleta. I had gotten us a room at the Leta located right on Calle Real. We settled in and relaxed. When it as time to head out for dinner, we wanted something in walking distance and I’d found a ramen shop a block or so away from out hotel named Nikka.
The reviews seemed positive and they had an outdoor dining area that was dog friendly. We were greeted and seated. The young man who waited upon us was very nice; but I could tell that this was more of a “fusiony” ramen place as he kept calling he ramen I ordered as “tonkatsu” ramen and while the menu boasted of the 24 hour simmering time for the broth, they called the version I had as “Shiro ramen” not shio ramen.
They also had stuff like poke bowls and ramen “burritos” on the menu. And in fact, I decided to order the Combination Baos (3 baos for $12.50). I ordered one of each.
As I figured, the baos seemed like those premade frozen ones you can get at the market. The karaage was too salty and dry, the chashu had a very nice texture but was super bland and over shadowed by the sweetness of the bao. The shrimp tempura, while overfried was the best of the three as it was tender and presented a decent shrimpiness.
As for the Tonkotsu Ramen ($17.50).
Well, the broth was barely past room temp and was super thin for our taste. It was pretty darn bland as well.
I had ordered the “thick noodle” which was a tad overcooked, heading toward too soft. Also, you can tell how thin the broth was since the noodles rea;;y didn’t “pick” any of it up.
The chashu was the best item in the bowl, nice texture, perfect tenderness, though a bit lacking in the porkiness department.
Overall, a “C” level bowl of ramen.
Well, service was nice. We hadn’t expected much from this place and I guess they lived up to those expectations.
Nikka Ramen 5701 Calle Real Goleta, CA 93117
We did have a nice night of sleep at the hotel and breakfast was included in our stay, which was enough food to keep us until dinner!
We had decided on making one last stop before heading home, at a place that we’d never really taken to. We had visited Old Town Temecula several times while living in the SGV and when we first moved to SD. But had never really enjoyed the place as it seemed overly touristy. I thought that perhaps staying the night might make things more enjoyable, so I booked us a room at the Hampton Inn, which was right across busy Rancho California Road from the start of Old Town.
JJ got in a nice nap while we drove to Temecula.
We checked in and then headed to Old Town to wander around a bit.
Man, the bars were doing some good business; even at barely 4pm on a Sunday.
The Missus got some cream for Her and JJ, which they don’t always have at Temecula Olive Oil in Old Town. I also got some olive oil as well.
Temecula Olive Oil Company 28653 Old Town Front St. Temecula, CA 92590
We wandered a bit more…..
And then decided to grab some dinner. An acquaintance had recommended a Bar/Restaurant named 1909 Temecula to me. The place had outdoor seating and was fairly busy; even at 445!
The menu consisted of typical items like burgers and tacos, stretching into Korean Fried Chicken, Risotto, and even Lobster.
The Missus started with a Sangria, which She enjoyed.
I had the Cedar Smoked Old Fashioned, which had some decent smokiness, but was a bit on the sweeter side and tasted a bit weak.
We decided on a couple of items; one of which was recommended to me; the House Chili (bowl – $12).
The blue cornbread was too wet and mushy. The chili lukewarm. There was supposed to be “steak” in this; which I think was super hard pieces of meat. It had an interesting flavor profile; perhaps a bit on the sweeter side? I was told that they use beer to make this chili. It was the best item we had during this meal.
The Al Pastor Tacos ($16) were not good. The pork very dry and chewy. The flavor too sweet.
The supposedly house made tortillas too brittle and lacking in good corn flavor. The fries were dry and soggy.
The Shrimp in the Shrimp & Chorizo ($18) was tough and chewy, with a muddiness to it.
The sausage seemed more like Longaniza as the meat seemed on the courser side and without the spice of chorizo. Still that was not bad. The bread had been nicely grilled, the sauce was quite tangy and acidic.
Overall, 1909 seems like a very touristic place, though it was super popular as there was a line of at least 20 people waiting when we left. Good thing we had an early dinner. Service was nice, but things took a while to get to our table.
1909 28656 Old Town Front St. Temecula, CA 92590
We walked back to the hotel and relaxed. I did a post and caught up on things. We had a decent night of sleep. There was a bit of traffic noise, but things weren’t too bad.
While not quite the ending of our epic little road trip we had wanted; we…and JJ still enjoyed ourselves, from revisiting Paso Robles yet again and enjoying the Alchemist Garden, to our favorite meal of the trip at L’Escargot in Carmel, to lovely Mendocino and Santa Cruz, this was one for the books. And we are so honored that you were able to vicariously come along with us!
Back in my post on Super Mario‘s, “FOY” Elle asked if I’d been to Say Aloha, a newish local kine restaurant that opened up in Hillcrest. I had heard of the place, but the hours were really limited and it is located in Hillcrest so I hadn’t really tried to visit. During my visits to White Elephant, JJ and I took a walk around the block to see exactly where the place was.
It wasn’t open, but it seemed to be located thru that doorway to the left of AWOL Bar? Being only open from 5pm Thurs to Sunday is a hinderance; especially seeing the location and all. And yet, a couple of weeks later, the Missus and Her coworkers had a HH planned. It was in walking distance so She took JJ. I decided that the time was right for a visit. I headed on over and actually found some paid parking a few blocks away. I walked on over and peered inside that doorway. There was some event going on in Hillcrest that evening so it was kinda crazy as the bar was having drinks dispensed to folks. Anyway, he was nice enough to point out that Say Aloha was actually in Rosemary and Thyme Cafe.
So, I walked on in and was greeted by a very friendly woman, who introduced herself as Marline. I was led out the back door to a very nice covered “tropicalish” courtyard.
I was seated and handed a menu.
Because it seemed that there was this “sip and stroll” type event going on; folks kept on popping into the courtyard to take a walk around and check things out. I was the only true customer until nearly the end of my meal. It was fun to see folks so festively dressed up though.
Wanting to try several items, I decided to go with the Mix Plate; not cheap at $23.95! Ouch! Anyway, a really nice guy came out and introduced himself as Avian. He’s the chef/cook. He told me that unfortunately, the kalua pork was not ready, so would it be ok to sub chicken katsu? I was fine with this.
While waiting for my order and watching the “sideshow” of people wandering in and out; Marline came by and asked how I knew about Say Aloha. I mentioned being from the Islands and the “coconut wireless”. She laughed and said that Avian is Guamanian. She also cracked up when I said “what, no kelaguen?”
That’s my plate lunch above. Smelled quite nice. I decided to try the mac salad first. It was nicely coated, perhaps bit more than I prefer, but no complaints. This version had that nice tanginess and wasn’t overly salty.
The chicken katsu was my least favorite item. It seemed to have been over-fried, really dark in color.
Tough and dry, lacking in seasoning.
I did enjoy the Katsu Sauce though. It’s really local style, meaning more ketchup based, quite tangy.
I liked the flavors of the Teri Chicken. It had a nice balance of sweet to salty, with an interesting hint of acidity. I was later told that they use pineapple juice in the glaze.
It was nicely grilled, if a bit on the chewy side. Much better than the typical “Hawaiian BBQ” stuffs you get here.
Now, even though I’m not a fan of the typical chewy “LA Kalbi” that permeates plate lunches, this version was surprisingly tender.
A bit too sticky-sweet for my taste; but that texture was definitely king!
This was overall, a surprisingly decent version of local kine plate lunch items. Just to be clear, this is NOT Hawaiian Food, ok? It’s not the food of ethnic Hawaiians….sorry, don’t mean to beat that dead horse, but have overheard several conversations lately about L&L being “Hawaiian Food”. Yeow…..
The folks working here are very friendly and the patio lovely. Though Marline did tell me that she prefers people not bringing their dog to Say Aloha. Which is fine, though Rosemary and Thyme which operates this space on Saturday and Sundays from 830am – 130pm is.
Mahalo for the reminder for Say Aloha Elle!
Say Aloha 1475 University Ave. San Diego, CA 92103 Current Hours: Thurs, Sunday 5pm – 9pm Fri – Sat 5pm – 10pm Closed Mon – Wed
