mmm-yoso – Page 61

Roadtrip – Jiou Chu Dumplings (Rowland Heights)

September 20, 2023 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants, Los Angeles County, Road Trip, Xiao Long Bao

So, the Missus's new favorite restaurant is Mountain House. And since that meal we've been back three more times, I'll combine that into one post later! And we've stayed overnight on each visit. On the first revisit, we dined at places I'd posted on before, so I'll do that in a COMC post. The third time we did a bit of a longer road trip, that'll be coming up. This was the second revisit. We were looking for a place for lunch. On our previous trip, I'd read about a new dumpling shop opening in Yes Plaza. Aaaah, Yes Plaza, I'd posted on our "history" with Yes Plaza before and my has the place changed. Anyway, after having dinner at Mountain House on the previous trip, we took a drive to the strip mall. It was 730pm and at that time Jiou Chu Dumplings was only open from 5pm to 830 pm and there was still a line of folks waiting outside! The Missus looked at Her Instagram and wouldn't you know it, so many influencers showing off! Of course, often times it's all about the "content" and attention than the actual food.

The week before we left for Rowland Heights, Jiou Chou started opening at 11am. We decided to go for lunch and arrived at around 1040. The place was empty, there was no line, so we headed off to Hong Kong Market to buy some snacks and returned. It was just after 11am when we parked and noticed that there was a line!

Notice the 85° logo on the signage? Well Jiou Chu is owned by 85C and has two restaurants in Taichung, where we had just been a couple of months prior! This is the first location of the dumpling restaurant in the U.S.!

RT Jiou Chu 01 RT Jiou Chu 02 There was a sign posted saying that the place wasn't doing takeout orders on this day. I guess they were anticipating a major lunch rush? By the way, this was a weekday. One thing we noticed, that is usually a positive sign were that most of the customers were older folk, which to us is usually a pretty good sign.

We were led to a table and seated. The restaurant was pretty sizeable.

RT Jiou Chu 03

Folks just kept on coming in and within fifteen minutes of being seated we noticed that the place was full!

Listening in, the Missus noticed that folks were placing orders to dine in and additional orders to go! I guess that's how they got around "no to go orders" for the day? Several of the parties around us had apparently been here before. Ordering was done, at least by us, using the QR code. We noticed that many of the older folks struggled a bit and had their orders taken by the very accommodating staff.

Of course we started with the Pork Xiao Long Bao ($11.99). We quickly noticed that the prices were pretty good, perhaps that's why all the folks were coming out?

RT Jiou Chu 04 RT Jiou Chu 04b These were not very good. The wrapper was chewy and brittle, there was some "soup" in the XLB but it was very bland. The filling was tough and chewy and also pretty much tasteless.

Kinda sad overall.

Next up were the two versions of Pork Chops. When we were in Taiwan the Missus said several times that I "didn't meet a pork chop that I didn't enjoy".

RT Jiou Chu 05_B

The Fried Pork Cutlet ($8.49) had a nice black pepper flavor, decently salty, but was over fried, tough, and dry.

RT Jiou Chu 06

The best item of the meal was the Fried Pork Strips ($8.49).

RT Jiou Chu 07

Think of this as a pork version of the typical Taiwanese "popcorn chicken". It was crisp-crunchy, moist, with a good amount of five-spice, white pepper, and salt.

We had wanted to order some Guotie since the photos looked quite good. They were out of several versions so we ended up getting the Kimchi-Pork version ($11.49). Good lord, this was a mistake.

RT Jiou Chu 08

The wrappers were gummy, the filling was weird, the "kimchi" lacked flavor as did the pork which was chewy. The menu warned that these dumplings contained hot soup, but that was a false alarm as there was none. This was our least favorite item of the meal.

Well, this meal was a fail. Unlike Taiwan where "lines don't lie", here in the states things can get over run by hype it seems. That's too bad as we were kind of excited about eating here. Oh well, nothing ventured, nothing gained, right?

RT Jiou Chu 09

At least we tried it……and we'd be headed to Mountain House for dinner.

Jiou Chu Dumplings
18156 Colima Rd.
Rowland Heights, CA 91748

Green China Grill (Lanzhou Noodlelicious?) Revisited

September 19, 2023 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants

As the weather suddenly turned a bit cooler, I decided to take advantage of things and get my noodle soup fixes in. I had been wanting the Beef Noodle Soup from Green China Grill, which I found strangely listed as Lanzhou Noodlelicious on Google when I went to verify opening hours.

When I arrived, the sign still says Green China Grill, so go figure.

Green China Rev 01

I arrived right after opening, but there were already two tables filled with folks. The young man and young lady working were very nice.

Green China Rev 02

Ordering was done by QR code. I went ahead and ordered the Beef Noodle Soup with Sour Cabbage, which is now $14.99. I ordered it with the "thin flat" knife cut noodles, which the young man nicely told me would take a bit longer.

Anyway, it was worth the wait.

Green China Rev 03 Green China Rev 04 I tucked in quickly when the bowl arrived and was quite pleased with this! The soup, while still on the lighter side of things, had a nice amount of white pepper, there was a decent amount of beefiness, and the MSG level was a lot lower than I recalled. I could have used more xue cai which adds a nice, pleasant sour-acidity to things and textural contrast, but this was fine.

The noodles had a pleasant slightly toothsome pull to it. I enjoyed the texture.

The meat was more tender than I recalled and nicely beefy as well.

Green China Rev 05

I actually had to stop myself….I was enjoying this way too much! I realize that it had been four-and-a-half years since I've dined in here, two-and-a-half since I did takeout. Why hadn't I returned sooner. I'll gladly state that this was the best noodle soup I'd had in a while. In the end, I just decided to enjoy things and go along for the ride. It was good just to sit and slurp up a decent bowl of beef noodle soup.

Green China Rev 06

I'll make sure to not let too much time pass before returning.

Green China Grill (Lanzhou Noodlelicious)
4688 Convoy St.
San Diego, CA 92111

So, now that you've kindly taken the time to read this post. Tell me, what have you been enjoying now that things have cooled down a bit?

Pho-raging Along Clairemont Mesa – Pho Duyen Mai, Pho Fusion and PT Eatery

September 18, 2023 mmm-yoso Pho, Vietnamese Restaurants

I was recently told that Pho Duyen Mai has changed ownership. From my understanding, one of the partners of Cross Street is the new owner. I wanted to check what was going on, but it was just too hot to think about a bowl of pho. Of course, the weather has suddenly changed course over the last couple of weeks…..I guess fall is now here? Anyway, I decided to see what was up.

Pho Duyen Mai:

I decided to visit right at opening time, which is 10 am.

Duyen Mai Rev 01

And I'm glad I did. Even though I was the second party thru the doorway, the place filled up quickly.

I took a look around and quickly noticed a couple of things; I didn't recognize anyone working and the rib bones (Xí Quách Suon Bò) were no longer offered. I also noticed that there were quite a few more folks working then I recalled as well.

Duyen Mai Rev 02

I went with the #28, the Rare Steak, Flank, Brisket, Tendon, and Tripe – small ($12). It was interesting to watch. By the time I placed my order, seven more tables were occupied! While the woman went around delivering menus and then taking orders, the young man who tended the register made a loop around the dining room dropping off water. After all the orders were taken, the woman taking the orders made a loop around the dining room delivering utensils and napkins. An older, smiling gentleman delivered my bowl of pho to the table.

Duyen Mai Rev 03 Duyen Mai Rev 04 I quickly noticed that some of the basil had gone south already and the portion of sprouts was even smaller than on my last visit.

Also of interest was the dearth of proteins. There were two thin slices of rare beef, which was rolled up, one slice of flank, one of brisket, one decent slice of beef tendon and the tripe was MIA. Everything but the tendon was sliced super thin.

Duyen Mai Rev 05

The noodles were in the typical clump, but was decently cooked and still had a nice pull to them.

As for the broth……well, it was very thin and light, almost lacking in color, super salty, with that "San Diego sweet" tone, with just a hint of anise flavor. I had to make use of the slice of lime to help cut the saltiness. Needless to say, I was quite thirsty after this.

Duyen Mai Rev 06

Wow, this was quite disappointing. And I used to think that Duyen Mai was the best pho in the area…..but with a change of ownership…shades of Pho Lucky.

Pho Duyen Mai
5375 Kearny Villa Rd
San Diego, CA 92123

This visit had me thinking about the other Pho shops along Clairemont Mesa Boulevard. So over the next couple of days I decided to do some revisits, MS (heebie) G(bies) be damned.

Next up was down the street.

Pho Fusion:

It had been a while since I'd been to Pho Fusion, so I was interested to see how things were.

Pho Fusion Rev 01

As is my M.O. I arrived right at the 10am opening.

Pho Fusion Rev 02

It was pretty quiet during my entire visit as only two parties arrived. The older gentleman was nice but seemed a bit distracted. I ordered the regular #14, Brisket, Flank, Tendon, and Tripe ($10.95). My bowl arrived very quickly.

Pho Fusion Rev 04 Pho Fusion Rev 03 I'm used to Pho Fusion being a bit miserly with the sprouts and basil and they lived up to that reputation; though at least it was of decent quality.

The soup was quite dark, though clear, overly salty with that "sweet" note, and lacking beef and enough anise tones.

There was a good amount of protein….though perhaps I was measuring this against what I'd previously had at Duyen Mai? This time around, the tripe and a nice crunch, and the flank, while being chewy had a nice amount of beefiness, which was missing in the broth.

Pho Fusion Rev 07 Pho Fusion Rev 05 The noodles were in the typical clump, but were not over-cooked. As mediocre as this bowl was, it was still better than what I'd had at Duyen Mai. Kinda sad….

Pho Fusion
8038 Clairemont Mesa Blvd
San Diego, CA 92111

Which left me with one last option on Clairemont Mesa Boulevard…..

PT Eatery:

In all honesty, I was not fond of the "Pho not to Offend" from PT Eatery. But that was in the days "BC" (Before Covid) when they had first opened at the end of 2019, beginning of 2020. A revisit was well overdue.

PT Rev 0102b

I had put PT into the category of "Fusion Phuong Trang lite". Though the fact that I consider Phuong Trang to be MOR pho…well, you can kind of figure out my expectations here.

I do like the decor and on my previous visits the folks working have always been friendly and professional. I was glad to see that things were still the same in this category.

PT Rev 02

I ordered the Small Combo ($12.95). Which arrived with a fork?????

PT Rev 04

I didn't know I was giving off those "silverware vibes"? Needless to say, I used the napkins, but the fork stayed in the basket.

At least the basil and sprouts were super fresh. This was also the largest portion of the three places I visited.

PT Rev 03

PT Rev 05 PT Rev 06 Whoa, this was by far the largest "small bowl" of the three places as well. The soup had a good amount of cilantro and onions.

Of the proteins, the best items were the flank, which was beefy and surprisingly tender and the tripe which had a nice crunch. The rare steak was a bit over cooked by the time the bowl hit the table and while there were several pieces of tendon provided it was a bit too hard for my taste.

Unlike on my previous visit, while the noodles were in a huge clump at the bottom of the bowl, it was decently cooked and not mushy.

PT Rev 07

When I tried the broth a strange flavor hit me. Was it actually? Well yes, there was a light beefiness that could actually be made out. It felt so foreign since this is what was sorely lacking in the previous two bowls. While still on the "sweeter" side for my taste, this wasn't too salty. The amount of onions and cilantro actually contributed a hint pungent-citrusy flavors to the soup as well.

PT Rev 08

Well gee wiz….who would have thunk? I preferred PT Eatery to Duyen Mai? Maybe I need to revisit Phuong Trang since it's been a good number of years? Well, let's not get too excited. It's more likely that I'll head to Linda Vista the next time I'm craving some pho.

PT Eatery
7351 Clairemont Mesa Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92111

Paris – Ten Belles ( Canal Saint-Martin), Breizh Cafe (Marais) and Revisiting Edwart Chocolatier

September 16, 2023 mmm-yoso Breakfast/Brunch, Caffeine Fix, Chocolate, France, French Restaurants, Paris, France, Travel

Since we were spending two weeks in Paris, the Missus decided that She wanted to get Her hair done. So, after doing a bit of research She found a place in 10th Arrondissement. So, we headed off, up Rue du Temple past Place de la République.

Crossing over to the 10th, which we were not familiar with. There seemed to be a real "local" vibe to the area.

I've seen dog walkers, but this woman carted pooches around…..not sure what this is called? Kinda cute though.

We found the salon without much of a problem. While the Missus was having Her hair done, I decided to take a walk around the area and find a place to grab a cup of coffee.

There was quite a bit of interesting street art in the area. There was a place named Holybelly that was the subject of one of the Earful Tower's Podcasts and since it was in the 10th, I thought I'd walk over to check the place out. Hole smokes was the place busy, with a line waiting to get in.

I had done a bit of research the night before and did have a coffee shop on my list of places to check out.

This one was on the other side of Canal Saint Martin.

Which by the way, I had never visited in all our trips to Paris. Go figure.

It was a nice, mild, winter day, so the walk was quite pleasant.

Right across Canal Saint-Martin, down Rue de la Grange aux Belles is a location of specialty roaster Ten Belles, which I believe has three shops in Paris.

The folks working were quite friendly. I tried to order an Americano in French, but the girl laughed and started talking to me in English and told me "good try"!

And it was a decent Americano to boot.

I took a seat at an empty table and just had a nice relaxing moment. A few minutes later, I saw the gentleman on a small single table next to me greet a woman. Unfortunately, he had no room, so I scooted over and made the hand signs to trade tables with him and we switched. He made sure to walk over after and shake my hand, giving me a nice, warm "merci beaucoup"! As I left the couple both waved goodbye to me. Such nice folks….

Ten Belles – Paris 10
10 Rue de la Grange aux Belles
75010 Paris, France

As I strolled back down along the canal, who should I see but the Missus walking up to meet me!

It was still fairly early, we decided to grab a bite to eat. Both the Missus and I had heard and read about the chain of Crepe shops in Paris that were highly recommended; Breizh Cafe. So many folks mentioned this place and they have several shops in Paris, Lyon, and even one in Tokyo if I recall. The Marias location on Rue Vieille-du-Temple is very popular, but we easily got a table.

IMG_4003_02

So Breizh Cafe specializes in crepes from Brittany, that would be buckwheat "galettes". We aren't into overly sweet main sweet dishes for breakfast-lunch-brunch, so we both went with savory galettes.

The Missus got the Complete Champignons, which included jambon, Comté, and a sunny side up egg.

I got the Complete, which is jambon, egg, and comté.

Both the Missus and I were quite underwhelmed. The food lacked seasoning, the galettes were bland and this just wasn't too our taste. Perhaps galettes aren't our thing?

At least the people watching was fun.

Breizh Café
109 Rue Vieille-du-Temple
75003 Paris, France

We've run into folks who've been to Briezh and they echo our opinion. And the owner of Hola Paris told me that buckwheat galettes can tend to be on the bland-dry side as well. So, like I said, perhaps galettes aren't our kind of thing. But we're glad we tried them and will again if we're in Brittany.

We had a nice walk to our last stop before heading back to the apartment.

During a previous visit to Paris, we dropped by Edwart Chocolatier. And even though we had a good amount of chocolate on hand from other places we visited earlier during the trip, the Missus wanted to add to Her collection.

And after a few samples, the Missus added to Her ever growing chocolate collection.

Edwart Chocolatier
17 Rue Vieille-du-Temple
75004 Paris

I'm guessing Edwart is now a regular stop on our visits.

We'd headed back to the apartment for a break before doing a bit more exploring and heading to one of favorite restaurants in Paris for dinner.

Thanks for stopping by!

Crispy Chicken n’ Tomato (La Jolla/UTC)

September 11, 2023 mmm-yoso Chains, Chicken Wings, Korean Restaurants

**** This location of Crispy Chicken n' Tomato has closed

Back in the comments of my "Rebuilding the Rotation" post FOY "Peter" mentioned that the La Jolla Village Square location of Padadak was being replaced by something called Crispy Chicken n' Tomato. Peter kindly included a link which indicated that the chain was the #1 Korean Fried Chicken Chain in Japan. Is that something to brag about? Hmmm…..sort of like saying Ajisen Ramen is the #1 Ramen Chain in China?

Anyway, a couple of weeks back, not sure on what to grab for lunch I decided to check the place out. I did the Google search and found that all the Padadak locations in San Diego, save the San Marcos location, though some would say that's not really San Diego had been replaced by Crispy Chicken.

Crispy Chicken n Tomato 01

The one good thing about this mall is that since the trolley stop was built there always seems to be ample parking. I arrived right at opening and sauntered on in.

Crispy Chicken n Tomato 02

The friendly young lady was an absolute joy. I placed my takeout order and was told there would be a 15 minute wait. The young lady mentioned putting in an online order, making sure I knew there wasn't any additional charges.

Of course, I couldn't help but notice the #1 Korean Fried Chicken Chain in Japan sign.

Screenshot 2023-09-11 163423

One quick note. Since when is Hiroshima in "China"? Last I heard, Hiroshima was in the Chūgoku region of Japan? Did I miss something in Geography class?

Anyway, I took a short walk and returned to pick up my order.

Crispy Chicken n Tomato 03

I had wanted to just see how the wings were without all the various sauces just to get my bearings, so I ordered the 8 piece wings Original ($14.50). A look at the fries had me thinking that they would not hold up well, even on the short trip back to the office, so I got the Onion Rings with Truffle Salt ($7).

Crispy Chicken n Tomato 04 Crispy Chicken n Tomato 05 That's what things looked like when I opened up the boxes back at the office. I did a quick taste of the tomato topping which was super bland, you couldn't even really taste tomato. The version of Mul Kimchi provided was weird as it had a real strong anise/clove flavor that wasn't very pleasant.

As for the Onion Rings with Truffle Salt….well, the color was very dark…maybe black truffle salt??? Ahem, no, it was burnt, the breading bitter.

Crispy Chicken n Tomato 06 Crispy Chicken n Tomato 07 And not a hint of truffle flavor to be found.

As for the wings; well, they did not hold up real well during the 10 minute trip back to the office. I found the batter to be thicker and the wings were fairly evenly coated… the pieces that weren't overly soggy were more crunchy than crisp, the seasoning also mild, apparently you do need some kind of sauce on this. The wings were on the larger side and were quite moist.

Crispy Chicken n Tomato 08

Looking over the website, I noticed that Crispy Chicken had lunch specials where you could order a bowl, yakisoba, bulgogi, or like I did the Chicken Plate, which comes with both the boneless chicken and chickens wings, corn slaw, veggie fried rice, and one of three choices of sauce for $14.50. So, I went with the Soy Honey I ordered online and my lunch was ready when I arrived.

Of course you know what what stated on the takeout box, right?

Crispy Chicken n Tomato 09

I gotta say, the price to portion ratio was quite good for these days of inflated prices.

Crispy Chicken n Tomato 10 Crispy Chicken n Tomato 11 The wings had held up better this time. I tried the sides first. The corn slaw was terrible, the "dressing" was really watery and this lacked flavor. Very little corn, you might as well just give me raw coleslaw mix.

The fried rice on the other hand was not bad. The rice was nicely coated, decent, simple, straightforward soy sauce flavors. It was my favorite item of the day.

Crispy Chicken n Tomato 12

The boneless chicken was served in fairly hefty chunks.

Crispy Chicken n Tomato 13 Crispy Chicken n Tomato 14 The batter had peeled away from two of the pieces, which had been turned face down in the box. The sauce was not overly sweet, but I still would have preferred a bit more saltiness, this was much milder than the versions at other places. The chunks of chicken were on the dry and tough side.

Crispy Chicken n Tomato 15 Crispy Chicken n Tomato 16 I'm not going to beat a dead horse about that Mul Kimchi. I just don't care for the flavor.

The wings had held up much better this time and definitely did better with a sauce. Though the wings weren't evenly coated really paring down the impact of the already mild soy-honey. Perhaps I should have ordered the "Monster" sauce, after all, from my experience Japanese don't like super spicy food and you know…this is the #1 blah, blah, blah, blah……

Crispy Chicken n Tomato 17

In the end, this might be my least favorite of the four KFC chains in San Diego. Though I'm wondering what it would taste like in "Hiroshima, China"?

Crispy Chicken n’ Tomato
8657 Villa La Jolla Dr.
San Diego, CA 92037
Current Hours:
Open Daily 11am – 10pm

Roadtrip – A Morning Walk in Prescott, Wild Iris Coffee, Montezuma Castle National Monument, and Lunch at the Turquoise Room (Winslow) Again

September 10, 2023 mmm-yoso American/New American Restaurants, Caffeine Fix, Flagstaff/ Sedona/Winslow/Northern AZ, Phoenix/Scottsdale/Chandler/Central AZ, Road Trip, Travel

**** Not a whole lot of food in this one. But if you'd like to see more of Prescott and Montezuma Castle National Monument read on…..

After a really nice night of sleep at the Motor Lodge, I woke early and decided to take a stroll to get the Missus some coffee. Prescott is located at 5,400 feet altitude and it was quite cool on a bright May morning.

Prescott is also known for it's Victorian style homes. Like this one.

Which brought a smile to my face as I recalled the wonderful self guided Architectural walking tour we took in Pacific Grove.

I headed up South Montezuma Street and the Yavapai County Courthouse.

Though this time I didn't have to make a turn down West Goodwin. Instead, I kept walking North……

And past the area known as Whiskey Row, a wild-west looking collection of bars and restaurants.

Established in the 1870's this row of saloons suffered thru three fires in 1877, 1883, and a devastating fire 1900. Each time it was was rebuilt, with more businesses than before.

None of which is more famous than The Palace Saloon.

You might recognize the names of some of the "toughest" customers of the saloon.

Shades of the Iron Door Saloon! Too bad we didn't have a chance to visit, perhaps next time?

I took a turn and then made another left and found the coffee spot I was looking for.

Really friendly folks, a nice selection. I got the Missus a French Press and I got an Americano before we hit the road.

Wild Iris Coffee House
124 South Granite St. Suite E
Prescott, AZ 86303

As I walked back to the Motor Lodge I stopped at the restaurant I'd tried to get reservations at but was unable to. And found out the reason why.

Ouch!

I also started noticing other signs and art along the way.

And after quickly packing and checking out we were off. I had picked Prescott over Sedona and Flagstaff on this road trip to make a stop at Montezuma Castle National Monument. We arrived at around 930 and was surprised to see the place was quite busy…on a weekday!

Some of the best preserved dwellings of the Sinagua people are to be found here.

There's an easy paved loop walkway around the park.

You'll see many ruins of dwellings. Though unlike, say Cliff Palace in Mesa Verde, you can't walk among the ruins. The largest complex, called "Castle A" is an impressive and large structure of over 40 rooms.

Just to imagine what life was like.

And as we were leaving we saw this. Which made us smile wistfully….

Bark Ranger 2

Sammy would have loved being a "Bark Ranger"…..

I had planned things so that we could make a lunch stop at a favorite of ours.

Yep, we were back at the La Posada, at the Turquoise Room for lunch.

We had the same things as on our previous lunch visit and it was just as good, so I'm not going to bore you with that. If you're interested, you can read my post on that visit.

Turquoise Room (in the La Posada Hotel)
303 E 2nd St.
Winslow, AZ 86047

A nice light lunch and we were off to our next stop. Albuquerque!

Thanks for stopping by!

Roadtrip – El Gato Azul, Prescott, Arizona

September 9, 2023 mmm-yoso American/New American Restaurants, Mexican Restaurants, Phoenix/Scottsdale/Chandler/Central AZ, Road Trip, Spanish Restaurants and Cuisine, Travel

Right after our last trips to France, "Home", Taiwan, and before out latest trip to CDMX and Guadalajara…..whew, am I behind on my travel posts or what? We decided to revisit Santa Fe and a couple of other places. One of the towns I always wanted to visit is Prescott. You know me a oddball history, right? Turns out that Prescott was twice the Capital of Arizona; first between 1864 to 1867 and then from 1877 to 1899. Much of the reason was due to the prosperous mining of gold and silver in the area. Doc Holliday, Wyatt Earp, and Virgil Earp were residents of Prescott (though Wyatt Earp was also a San Diego resident for a while). Anyway, I thought a stop in Prescott on the way to Albuquerque, Santa Fe, and Taos might be a fun stop.

I got our accommodations set at the Motor Lodge which was a few blocks from the main square of Prescott and I'm glad we stayed here. Each unit was sort of a vintage "boutique" motel unit.

We loved the patio area and it was a one bedroom unit with a small kitchen; which we didn't use, but appreciated. The place was very comfortable!

And one of my favorite posters ever!

The staff was really friendly and nice as well.

The Motor Lodge
503 South Montezuma St.
Prescott, AZ 86303

After taking a nice break, we headed off to our dinner destination. The main street in Prescott is South Montezuma Street and it heads past the main square, Courthouse Plaza where the impressive Yavapai County Courthouse is located.

We took a turn on West Goodwin Street, right at the beginning of Prescott's Whiskey Row, which I would quickly check out the next morning. A couple of blocks down was our destination. El Gato Azul. We were about 15 minutes early for our 530 reservation and there was a line outside the restaurant! We got a table outside on the patio area. Man, the place was packed! It seems like folks eat early in Prescott. The hostess seemed a bit stressed and was short with folks but the rest of the staff was very friendly and we started with some cocktails.

The menu was an "interesting" fusion of Spanish-Mexican-European-you name it, fusion-tapas like dishes.

We placed our order and the first to arrive was the "Mediterranean Nachos" ($10).

This would end up being our favorite dish of the night. The combination of briney Kalamata Olives, pungent pickled Garlic, Milky Mozzarella, meaty artichoke hearts, and pickled onions on crisp tortilla chips was quite refreshing. The Chimichurri was mild, but that was probably for the best as it let all the ingredients "sing".

Next up was the Chorizo Hash ($9).

The Yukon Gold potatoes were nice and sweet, but the chorizo was very mild in flavor, lacking spice and herbaceous smokiness that we enjoy in a good chorizo. Not sure about the overly chewy baguette either and the so called "pico de gallo" didn't add much to the dish. In fact, we asked if there was hot sauce available and two bottles were provided.

Both were quite tasty; but for us the habanero hot sauce was spicy-acidic, with a nice smoky-fruitiness we enjoyed. This was our "crutch" for the rest of the meal.

Interesting thing to note. The place was packed with folks waiting in line when we arrive at 515. By 6pm it was starting to empty out!

Next up were Green Chili Carnitas ($9). Which were basically pseudo carnitas tacos.

The flour tortillas were too thick, almost like a pseudo pita of sorts. The carnitas were slightly porky, but needed more salt and seasoning. Plus the meat to cabbage/tortilla ratio was skewed in favor of the latter. We must have used half the bottle of hot sauce on this.

The last item to arrive was the "Guacamole Pizza" ($11), which should probably be called a overly-cheesed pita.

The pita was decently crisp, though it said cumin fried pita on the menu, it could have used a larger dose of cumin. Not enough guacamole for our taste and this definitely needed more salt as well.

The meal started quite well, and the staff, other than the surly hostess were so nice. We loved the vibe and the meal started well. Good thing we had those bottles of hot sauce as they saved the meal.

Here's a photo of the very pretty front of the restaurant I took the next morning.

El Gato Azul
316 West Goodwin St.
Prescott, AZ 86301

There was a silver lining to this visit though. From our seats on the patio, we noticed this stream and a little path along it.

As we left the restaurant, we noticed stairs headed down to the trail along the creek.

Apparently this is Granite Creek. And according to the City's website, the area along what is called the Granite Creek Corridor is being "protected and enhanced" to ensure its sustainability.

We strolled Northward. It was a pleasant walk.

Until the point the creek was emerging from under West Willis Street. We then got back to street level and strolled back to our accommodations.

While we didn't see too many folks out and about; those we saw would greet us with a smile and "hello".

And there seemed to be a sense of humor present as well.

Yes, Prescott, Arizona!

Thanks for stopping by!

Ju Feng Yuan Dumpling Cafe

September 5, 2023 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants, Xiao Long Bao

Ju Feng Yuan Dumpling opened back in January and created a bit of a buzz. I know that "FOYs" SDJulie and RD both highly recommended the place. And Calvin, who lives fairly close by also liked the place, though he said that the Xiao Long Bao weren't always available. So, I decided to wait past the soft opening period before driving up to Scripps Poway Parkway in search of Ju Feng Yuan.

When I arrived, I cracked up, just a short while back this was Rooster Rice & Noodles! Well, they didn't last too long did they?

Ju Feng Yuan 01

I had heard that the place gets a bit busy so I told Calvin to meet me there right when they opened. I arrived ten minutes before opening and Calvin parked and walked on over a few minutes later.

Ju Feng Yuan 02

Except for the center seating area, the interior is fairly austere and simple….they also filled up fast.

Ju Feng Yuan 03

The menu and ordering is done by QR code. The menu is a mish mash of various regional dishes ranging from la zi ji to niu rou chuan, as well "ABCDE" type favorites like fried rice and orange chicken!

I had really wanted to try the Jiaozi, but Calvin was looking forward to the XLB, so I figured I'd get that on my next visit.

We started with the Shrimp and Pork Wonton in Chili Oil.

Ju Feng Yuan 04

I liked the wrappers, which had a nice pull, but as still tender. I also enjoyed the large pieces of shrimp on the won ton; you could really make out the flavor of the shrimp. The filling was moist with a bit heft to it. The "chili oil" was short on chili and too heavy handed in the black vinegar department….it's usually the opposite way around, but here, it was way too sour.

After trying out those colorful multiflavored XLB at places like Dian Shui Lou in Taipei I'm of the mind that it's kind of a gimmick, Just give me good Pork XLB any day of the week.

Ju Feng Yuan 05 Ju Feng Yuan 06 Of course we're talking about good pork XLB. This was basically, meh…. The wrappers were too thick, there wasn't enough "soup" in the dumplings, and the pork filling was tough.

I sent my friend "YZ" who is from Shanghai and is even more picky about XLB then I am and she basically said "that looks too dry, the wrappers too thick, I bet it doesn't have enough soup?" Correct on all counts.

My two favorite dishes were not the dumplings.

I enjoyed the String Beans.

Ju Feng Yuan 07

Nicely stir fried, with a pleasant mild crunch, a bit of fermented black bean and garlic to add savory-pungent tones. This was quite good.

And the Garlic Spareribs, which were more like a good Salt and Pepper Spareribs.

Ju Feng Yuan 08

Nice black pepper, perfectly seasoned, hints of garlic, crisp outside, fairly moist meat, great for gnawing on the bones.

Overall, this was a nice lunch. It was interesting to see what folks were getting….from the young Asian hipsters with the signature XLB and tomato beef noodle soup, to the folks who looked like they worked in the area getting won ton soup, orange chicken, and what looked like pineapple fried rice?

I of course had to return to try the jiaozi…..but, I guess because of the distance, it took a couple of months before I returned. Again, I got to the shop before they opened and just sauntered in when that sign lit up. I was alone this time so ordering was easy….except, when I placed my order, they were out of the Pork and Cabbage Jiaozi. Even though I like to have the baseline standard, it was easy enough to order the Shrimp, Pork, and Chive version. Finding out that my next three choices were also out (no niu rou chuan!!!! no smacked cucumbers!!!) was kind of a bummer, but I found something to order.

As for the jiaozi.

Ju Feng Yuan 10 Ju Feng Yuan 11 It was good. I liked the wrapper, which was tender, with a bit of heft, and a nice al dente pull to it. The filling was also nicely seasoned, more of a course chop with large pieces of tender, briny-sweet shrimp. There were perhaps a bit too much Chinese chives in this, but overall no complaints. I did not care for the dipping sauce that came with the jiaozi, it had sweet tones I didn't care for. I just ended up using the black vinegar provided on the table.

As for my other dish. Well, I chose the Eggplant with Garlic Sauce.

Ju Feng Yuan 09

Well, the eggplant was nicely cooked, initially firm, but then giving way to molten melt-in-your-mouth tenderness. The sauce however, was overly sweet, overpowering every other flavor and there was a certain gloppiness to the dish I didn't care for. I could only finish a couple of bites. Ju Feng Yuan 12

Still, it was great to finally have some decent jiaozi in the area. The problem being the distance from home. I wish it was closer to work/home Still, I finally have a place that I can take the Missus to for Jiaozi, if She'll let me.

Ju Feng Yuan Dumpling Cafe
12265 Scripps Poway Pkwy Suite B109
Poway, CA 92064

Ju Feng Yuan Dumpling Cafe
12265 Scripps Poway Pkwy Suite B109
Poway, CA 92064
Current Hours:
Mon, Wed – Fri 1130am – 3pm, 5pm – 830pm
Sat – Sun 1130am – 330pm, 430pm – 9pm

Thanks for the recommendations RD and Julie!

Ju Feng Yuan 13

Monday Meaderings – Tuetano Taqueria Moving, Sunny Noodle is Now Spicy Noodle, and O-To-San Kushiyaki And Ramen is Now Otori Yakitori

September 4, 2023 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants, Japanese Restaurants, Mexican Restaurants

Hope everyone is having a nice Labor Day!

Just a quick post with updates today. So here goes….

Sunny Noodle is Now Spicy Noodle:

**** You can find a post on Sunny Noodle here.

Driving on Clairemont Mesa I noticed a sign over what was Sunny Noodle.

Man, didn't they just open at the end of December last year? Though the place uses the website for Sunny Noodle and that four-lettered website still has it listed under Sunny Noodle as well? I was told new owners, but am not in any rush to check the place out.

8046 Clairemont Mesa Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92111

**** Well Otori didn't last very long. This location is soon to be something named Moon Night

O-To-San Kushiyaki And Ramen is Now Otori Yakitori:

I saw this while driving back from doing my Saturday shopping at Nijiya.

Here's another fairly quick name change! The place just opened in January. Based on my visits, I can't say I'm not surprised. I did stop by and took a look at the menu.

Menu also looks pretty much the same. I'm wondering if there's some story here?

Anyway, Otori is not open for lunch, just dinner starting at 430pm.

4425 Convoy St.
San Diego, CA 92111

Tuetano Taqueria Moving:

A couple of weeks back, the Missus and I made a revisit to Taqueria Tuetano and I started putting a post together. I went to Tuetano's Instagram page and was shocked at what I read.

Do you see it? "Moving to Chula Vista soon"! Just about a day later "FOY" Junichi wrote a comment on my Tuetano post mentioning the move as well!

My sources tell me it was a problem with the landlord…..stay tuned!

This is quite sad since the arrival of Tuetano in the Urban Market really highlighted a change in direction for Old Town for me.

Anyway, here are some photos of what we ate at Tuetano a few weeks back. I did notice that Mar Rustico did not have any menu options and there was only one person working front of house during our visit.

Tuetano RV 02

Tuetano RV 03

In case you're wanting to get one last meal before they move, my understanding is that they will be open for a few more weeks.

Tuetano RV 01

Thanks for the update Junichi!

Tuetano Taqueria
2548 Congress St.
San Diego, CA 92110

Paris – Aux Crus de Bourgogne

September 3, 2023 mmm-yoso France, French Restaurants, Paris, France, Travel

We had a nice little break after our visit to the Louvre and having some ramen. Checking email, taking a short nap, and heading to the corner Carrefour for some coffee pods. This being winter, the night came on like a curtain being dropped and there was a chill in the air. We don't get this in San Diego, and especially not in Hawaii, so it was kind of fun to experience. We decided to head on over to an area we don't really go to a lot, in the 8th Arrondissement, Avenue des Champs-Élysées. It had been a while since we'd been in this area, but thought that visiting during the Christmas season would be fun and it was!

And with all the famous brands and shops along the street, you knew there had to be some rather flamboyantly decorations, right? Like the one on the Dior shop.

Visiting Europe during the Christmas season always puts us in "the mood".

And before you knew it, we were at Place de la Concorde.

When we had first arrived in Paris, before heading off to Montpellier, Carcassonne, and Toulouse, I had mentioned that the Tuileries Christmas Market was being set-up. Well, by now things were in full swing and we stopped on by.

We'd by stopping by a couple more times during our stay.

And of course, I couldn't resist getting a shot of the Louvre Pyramid at night.

As for dinner? Well, there's an interesting story about that. While looking thru various boards and such….it seems like all the Parisian Chowhounders had found a home on the Hungry Onion's France Page. And there was a familiar name mentioned. A place we've passed many times during our stays near Rue Montorgueil, Aux Crus de Bourgogne.

This Bistro, like the name mentions specializes in the cuisine of Bourgogne…..Burgundy. We really enjoyed our time in Burgundy and of course one of the reasons was the hearty cuisine! As for Aux Crus de Bourgogne, well, due to the location and looking over the menu, I thought it to be somewhat of a tourist restaurant.

Looking over the menu posted outside of the restaurant, we saw dishes we were interested in…….so we walked in and got a table on the second floor

Service was professional and quite "Paris" if you know what I mean. We decided to order mostly entrées and specials which really appealed to us.

The baguette came with rillette, which was quite good.

First up was the Mushroom Cream with Poached Egg.

Rich and creamy, quite woodsy-earthy, with a hint of sweetness. The egg was poached beautifully. We almost finished all the baguette with this one dish!

Of course, we had to have some escargot.

The Missus had never enjoyed escargot until that first dinner in Dijon. From that point on She was sold! But of course you had to choose your spots for this. The version here was solid, firm but not hard, could have used perhaps more garlic, but it had a sufficient amount of olive oil and such that it paired well with (even more) bread.

The final two dishes came arrived together. The special of mushroom with Vol-au-vent and another specialty of Burgundy, Oeufs en Meurette, eggs poached in red wine.

The Oeufs en Meurette were solid, if not great. The sauce was quite rich, though it had a tinge of bitterness. The eggs, like the other dish was poached perfectly, so rich and creamy. We missed the lardons that were no included in this version.

The Vol-au-vent was probably our favorite dish on the evening.

The rich, earthy mushroom sauce combined with the buttery-crisp "case" of puff pastry, which held up well throughout the meal. We could even make out garlic tones in this.

We were surprised at how much we enjoyed this meal and I ended up making reservations for later during our stay.

Aux Crus de Bourgogne
3 Rue Bachaumont
75002 Paris, France

This was such a pleasant surprise. And based on my walking for the day, I think I earned it, right?