mmm-yoso – Page 88

Midweek Meanderings – Sunmerry, The Great Greek Mediterranean Grill, and Kitakata Ramen Coming to Kearny Mesa, Palomino’s #3 and Matador Mexican Grill “Under New Management”

August 3, 2022 mmm-yoso Bakery, Chains, Greek Food, Japanese Restaurants, Ramen, Taco Shops

It's amazing what you can find during one short drive. Here's what I noticed when I went to get some groceries and lunch from Nijiya. I took the "long way"; which meant starting on Clairemont Mesa, then down Convoy, then all the way down Linda Vista to Morena.

Here's what I saw.

Sunmerry, The Great Greek, and Kitakata Ramen Coming to Kearny Mesa:

Even though I haven't done a post on Sunmerry; a bakery chain from Taiwan, it's a must stop on our road trips North and during visits to Bistro Na's. We'll also stop in at the Rowland Heights location as well. For some reason, this past week, I mentioned that Sunmerry was opening somewhere near Convoy to the Missus, so She'd be able to get Her Pineapple Cake fix locally. I was thus instructed to find out the location. Finding the location was simple using our friend……Google.

In the same strip mall as Costco Business and Target I saw three structures and this sign:

So, I got three for the price of one here.

The Great Greek Mediterranean Grill, a small chain out of Nevada and Sunmerry will occupy one building.

7951 Othello Ave.
San Diego, CA 92111

And Kitakata Ramen Ban Nai which according to Eater, originated in Fukushima in another.

8001 Othello Ave.
San Diego, CA 92111

Looks like I got a "three for one" here…..

Palomino's #3 "Under New Management":

I go to Nijiya so frequently that I usually just head on in and then back to my car without a glance; but today I noticed that the Taco Shop in the strip mall had a "Under New Management" sign. Which I believe means new ownership.

Cathy has done several posts on Palomino's #2, but not on this location. I last visited in the days BB ("before blogging").

3860 Convoy St.
San Diego, CA 92111

So maybe…..and no, I haven't tried Two Hands Corn Dog yet either…..

Matador Mexican Grill Reopening:

On my way back, heading down Linda Vista, I took a look at the spot that used to house Matador Mexican Grill which closed several months back and noticed they were reopening. Of course; it's under the ubiquitous "under new management".

I'd never been; though an ex-coworker of mine used to like the place.

5201 Linda Vista Rd.
San Diego, CA 92110

And under the you never know what you'll see label……

I noticed a bit of a crowd on the Convoy side of Jasmine as I stopped at the light. There were news teams and bit of a hubbub. While sitting at the light, I noticed someone holding a freeway sign. And then it became clear. I know that there was an effort to raise money for six "Convoy Asian Cultural District" signs and it looks like they've raised the money and the signs are done.

Good for them!

Hope everyone is having a great week!

A Takeout Revisit to EE Nami and “Paying the Price” for Online Ordering for Pick-up

August 2, 2022 mmm-yoso Japanese Restaurants

I'd been craving some Tonkatsu from EE Nami for a while. And even though they they reopened at the beginning of June, I just couldn't find a good time to do takeout.

Finally, I had waited long enough and I decided to order the Pork Loin Katsu for dinner. Previously, at least when I last ordered at the end of 2020, prices didn't seem too crazy. But this time, when I looked at the online choices for pick-up the Pork Loin Katsu Combo the prices ranged from $26 to $31.50!!! What the heck? I took a look at EE Nami's website and the PDF takeout menu and the combo is now priced at $22….. Now the online prices do not include tip either. It's getting pretty crazy these days. Heck, I'd rather have EE Nami get that extra money as a tip….so I went and called in my order. Which, by the way was a fairly hefty $23.71 anyway.

I drove on over and I gotta say, the place is doing some good business as folks were waiting for tables outside so I didn't take any photos. My order was waiting when I arrived, I paid, added in cash to make it a straight $27…….let me quickly ask, are you tipping for takeout?

This is what I unpacked at home.

EE Nami TO 01 EE Nami TO 02 So, first off, let me say that the former "weak link" in the combo, the miso soup, while still being kind of weak overall, was much better, less watery. The rice however was hard and very dry. So, perhaps it's not worth the extra three bucks for that? I can probably do better with what I have at home.

There was a smaller portion of the shredded cabbage and they've replaced the tofu with edamame; which wasn't a favorite of mine.

But of course, I didn't order this for the edamame, right?

EE Nami TO 03 EE Nami TO 04 Man, the tonkatsu is the best I've had in a while, even better than on my previous takeout visits. Notice that the breading isn't falling off the pork loin, this tells me that it's been fried at a good temperature and time. The panko breading was crisp and light. The pork was so tender and moist. It was just so good. I've gotten used to the sweeter katsu sauce form EE Nami and use it sparingly.

I guess it's really worth the prices these days?

EE Nami Tonkatsu Izakaya
4706 Clairemont Mesa Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92117
Phone: (858) 246-6903
Hours:
Wed – Sun 1130 – 2pm, 530pm – 10pm
Closed Monday and Tuesday

El Zarape 10 (!!!) Years Later and a Walk Around University Heights

August 1, 2022 mmm-yoso Exploring San Diego, Taco Shops, yoso-silly

Recently I was thinking about areas that I hadn't been to in a while and University Heights came to mind. I couldn't recall the last time I was in the area…..at least not since Covid. So, on a recent weekend morning I decided to drop by and take a nice stroll.

I parked across from Trolley Barn Park and crossed the street.

U Heights 01

In case you're wondering why this is called Trolley Barn Park.

U Heights 02

This was the actual site of the Trolley Car Barn from 1913 – 1949.

While crossing the street, I realized that over the years I've driven by the park many times; but had never walked through the park. Well, this morning was as good a time as ever to do so!

I actually entered the park from Panorama Drive.

U Heights 03

It was mid-morning and all the "activities" were just getting started……yoga…

U Heights 06

Soccer for little "kiddies"….

U Heights 07

The sidewalk has markings of the streets along the old trolley route.

U Heights 05

There's an interesting marker that details the route of the trolley.

U Heights 08

And there's also a very nice view of Mission Valley at the south end of the park.

U Heights 09

U Heights 10 U Heights 11 I'm sure you've noticed all the signage and artwork with ostriches in the University Heights area.

Do you know why?

Well, the area at the southern end of Park Boulevard was W. H. “Harvey” Bentley's Ostrich Farm; yes, for real! According to the University Heights Historical Society:

"In 1904, John D. Spreckels invited Harvey Bentley to relocate his ostrich farm from Coronado."

There's this gate which was the entrance to the ostrich farm.

U Heights 12

And there's this sign, which I didn't recall seeing before. According to this post, the sign just went up in May of this year.

U Heights 13

I also noticed the mention of "William Hilton's Silk Mill". It turns out that the structure that now houses Meraki Café was once the location of a silk mill!

U Heights 14

Around this time, I decided to grab a bite. Over the last couple of months, I'd been wondering how some of the "old time" (to me) places that I hadn't visited in years were doing. So I decided to head on over to El Zarape. Now I knew that I hadn't been to El Zarape in a while; but man, it had been a decade since I last visited. And before that visit was a seven year gap! I knew that El Zarape currently opens at 10 in the morning on weekends, so I was fairly certain that I wouldn't have a problem placing a takeout order.

El Z 01

The layout and design looks basically the same as it did a decade ago……

El Z 02

As did the menu….with the hipster additions of "Beyond Meat"…and the other stuffs that I would never try like the "Aloha/Wasabi/Soy" burritos.

El Z 03

For old time's sake I ordered two of my "standards" from the old days; a Fish Taco and a Shrimp Taco. The gentleman working was very friendly and it was a short wait….I sat outside for my order. I then made the short walk back to Trolley Park to eat.

El Z 04

Opening things up….well, the tacos didn't look too promising.

Though I will say that the avocado sauce and salsa rojo taste exactly the same. Though I'm guessing that due to Covid precautions the old salsa bar is gone and now the sauces are served in containers.

El Z 05

The shrimp taco ($4.25) was less than pleasing.

El Z 06 El Z 07 The shrimp was rubbery, the tortilla didn't hold up and fell to pieces after my second bite, even with a protective layer of cheese. This was just so very bland, I didn't expect the sweet-richness of wild caught shrimp, but this just had so little "shrimpiness"….take a look at what the shrimp taco looked like before.

El Zarape rev 06

It doesn't even look like it's from the same restaurant….though I guess a lot can change in a decade.

It used to be that the Fish Taco at EZ was sort of a loss leader….it was still 99 cents in 2012! Now it's $2.50 which I think is a good price in this day and age. But the main question that came to mind when I looked at my taco was where's the fish????

El Z 08

It was just covered with a ton of cabbage, which was much more thickly sliced than before. As you can tell by the color, the fish had been fried too long; the batter had really darkened and the fish El Z 09 was dry…..though the crema and the avocado sauce helped things out a bit; the sliver of fish made this more a cabbage taco with a garnish of fish.

I really didn't expect too much from EZ, but it seems that time hasn't been too kind to the tacos at El Zarape. It's kind of sad really, since there was a time when I thought the fish tacos here were delici-yoso, of course that was a very long time ago.

Still, I was quite sad…..

El Zarape
4642 Park Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92116
Current Hours:
Mon – Fri 11am – 10pm
Fri – Sun 10am – 11pm

On the bright side of things, I did learn a bit about the history of University Heights.

U Heights 15

San Miguel de Allende (2022) – Cafe Oso Azul and Luna Rooftop Tapas Bar

July 30, 2022 mmm-yoso Caffeine Fix, Mexican Restaurants, Mexico, San Miguel de Allende/Guanajuato, Travel

Our wonderful driver; Aaron made getting to San Miguel de Allende a snap. Our accommodation, the very comfortable and well appointed Casa Lani Luxury B&B was just at the edge of the somewhat busy, touristy Centro area.

We were the only customers staying at the B&B during the two evenings which made for a relaxing and peaceful stay.

The first order of business after quickly getting settled was to take a stroll around the downtown area and get our bearings.

Most cities and towns in Mexico have a main square (the "Zócalo"). Here in San Miguel, it's the Jardín Allende.

A wonderful green space, which is fairly peaceful in the morning, but gets more lively as the days passes and is really buzzing at night.

Right across the street is the Parroquia de San Miguel Arcángel. Made of pink sandstone it is quite striking. The church was closed at the time of this visit; we'd return later. We headed next door to the Iglesia de San Rafael.

Which was quite striking in its own right.

Notice the statue of Saint Anthony Abad to the right. Notice anything? The pig perhaps? Well, in case you didn't know, Saint Anthony the Abbott is the Patron Saint of pigs! Yes indeed, you can read more about it here if you're interested. And if you desire; the next time you're in Paris you can get a dish from Au Pied de Cochon, named La Tentation de Saint-Antoine ("The Temptation of Saint Anthony") which consists of deep fried pig trotters!

San Miguel is known for being quite artsy and is indeed very colorful. We loved checking out the courtyards and various nooks and crannies……

IMG_1691 (2)

We decided to stop for a little caffeine boost on the way back to our room and dropped into a quiet and quaint little cafe; Oso Azul.

And enjoyed being the only customers in the place…..

Cafe Oso Azul
Zacateros 17, Zona Centro,
San Miguel de Allende, Mexico

I wanted our dinners in San Miguel to be fun and special. I had been told about and had read about Luna Rooftop Tapas Bar in the Rosewood Hotel. The view at dusk is said to be wonderful. So, I made reservations. We walked on over and were showed our way to the rooftop and yes, the view was amazing.

The staff were friendly and accommodating. And the residents with wings made sure we knew who "really" ran the place.

They basically had very little fear of hooo-mans…..

It was a great place to have cocktails….

And watch the sunset….along with our new fine-feathered-friends…..

51857005008_6f24af8395_o

Things in San Miguel were more expensive than CDMX….for instance, the Guacamole; which was pretty good cost 250 $MX, about $12.25/US! For a bowl of Guacamole…

Which came with Tlayudas, Tortillas Chips, and Chicharron.

In what would become the running joke of the evening….the Missus loved the chicharron. So, we asked if we could have more….the guys working were surprised. I'm guessing most folks aren't into the pork rinds here? They also found this amusing and quickly brought the Missus a serving of just chicharron.

For the rest of the evening, whenever the Servers would come by they would ask the Missus; "more chicharron?? More chicharron??" And when She did say "Si…muy chicharron…" They would all crack up! They were really a fun bunch!

As for the food. Well, let me just say that the presentations were nice, but the flavors were quite mild, and dare I say somewhat mutes for our tastes.

The shrimp in both the Shrimp Ceviche (275$ MX – $13.50/US) and Aguachile (280 $MX – $13.50/US) were cooked! And thus quite tough. Both dishes really needed more citrus and were on the bland side.

The Duck Confit "Carnitas" (295 $MX – $14.50/US) were dry, but at least had some gamey duck flavor.

The Manzano Peppers on the duck was really good though….sweet, fruity, with a slight kick.

And of course the Missus had more chicharron!

But of course, the main reason we came here was for this.

As we finished up and the wonderful staff bade us farewell, we could really see why San Miguel de Allende was a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Luna Rooftop Tapas Bar (In the Hotel Rosewood)
Nemesio Diez 11, Zona Centro
San Miguel de Allende, Mexico

San Miguel de Allende was indeed colorful; the people friendly, and we were hoping that our upcoming meals would be as delicious as San Miguel was beautiful.

Mexico City (2022) – Entremar, Revisits to Temporal and Panaderia Almuerzos

July 28, 2022 mmm-yoso Croissants, Mexican Restaurants, Mexico, Mexico City, Seafood, Travel

We took a nice nap after a pretty busy morning, after which it was time to head off to an early (430pm) dinner. I had tried getting reservations at the very popular Contramar, but was unable to. I then switched to Contramar's sister restaurant Entremar and could only get an early dinner reservation. Even though I thought we'd done enough walking for the day, the Missus disagreed, so we decided to walk the 2 1/2 miles to the restaurant. To be honest, the weather was very pleasant making this a nice walk.

We arrived at the restaurant, located in the ritzy Polanco district and couldn't believe how busy it was!

There was a bit of a queue to get in. As I stood in line, aggressive "Abuela's" pushed their way past me! This was such a change from the usual polite and well mannered folks I was used to in CDMX. I guess the potential of seafood will drive some folks to this!

Anyway, it wasn't a big deal and we had reservations. We were escorted upstairs and I gotta say the clientele upstairs were pretty tony…….

The staff worked so hard and were very gracious. We placed our order and just chilled out.

The first item to arrive was the Ceviche Contramar.

The fish was very tender, the marinating liquid had a perfect balance of sour with just enough salt to make it enjoyable. Very nice!

We didn't enjoy the Aguachile Verde Contramar as much.

The shrimp was quite tough and fishy and the "sauce" didn't have enough citrus tones for our taste.

The one dish we were looking forward to was the Pescado a la Talla, red snapper that is butterflied, sauced, and grilled. We chose the "Contramr" version, which had half of the fish rubbed with a red adobo sauce and the other half with parsley (De la Barrita) based rub.

This came with some really tasty black beans. Surprisingly, at least for us, we really enjoyed the parsley rub more! It had nice garlic tones; some cumin, and you could really taste the mild, almost sweet flavor of the snapper, which was grilled perfectly! Don't get me wrong; that adobo rub had some nice smokiness and spice; but you really couldn't enjoy the great quality of the fish as much.

Overall; the Pescado a la Talla made the meal a memorable one and we'll gladly return.

Entremar
Hegel 307
Polanco V Secc, 11560 Ciudad de México, Mexico

I enjoyed that fish so much that when the Missus suggested walking back to our room I readily agreed!

Not having to be anywhere allows you to enjoy and notice things more.

Like this restaurant with a familiar name.

And this bar where I guess you might be able to "Break on through to the other side"?

It was still quite early, so we decided to stop for a cocktail and a snack…..we chose another place we'd been to a couple of times; Temporal. Where we sat downstairs at the bar area.

I got my favorite cocktail here; the Suerte de Dragon ("Lucky Dragon").

Sadly, this Mezcal and beer based cocktail tasted watered down and the usual spiciness of it was really muted.

As a snack we got our favorite menu item at Temporal; the Gulf Crab Sopes.

Which were smaller then on previous visits; the sopes were really gummy, and there was too much filler and not as much crab as on our previous visits.

Bummer…….

Restaurante Temporal
Saltillo 1, Hipódromo, Cuauhtémoc
06140 CDMX, Mexico

We slept well and got up early the next morning.

Our next stop was going to be San Miguel de Allende and we had hired the amazing Aaron Cruz to drive us there.

Since it was going to be quite the drive; we headed to another familiar stop close by; Panadería Almuerzos for a Croissant and then got some coffee from Mercado Condesa.

I've often said that the croissants at Panadería Almuerzos are our favorite outside of France….and this delivered.

And the coffee wasn't bad either.

Panadería Almuerzos
Av. Vicente Suárez 64A
Colonia Condesa, CDMX, Mexico

Cafe Toscano
Calle Michoacan sn Mercado Condesa
Hipódromo Condesa, Cuauhtémoc, CDMX, Mexico

Breakfast completed, we headed back to our room to finish packing and check out. Aaron would be arriving soon to take us to our next stop; San Miguel de Allende.

Thanks for stopping by!

What’s the Missus Craving? The Salted Fish and Chicken with Eggplant from Noble Chef

July 27, 2022 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants, yoso-silly

Yes, yet another Noble Chef post. But man, since our dine in visit last month, She has been wanting the Salted Fish and Chicken with Eggplant sometimes twice a week!

For some reason, the last couple of visits, the dish has been spot on…..compare this with older photos.

NC Salted Fish Eggplant 01

Of course, I only get a taste; but the funky-salty tones, along with the buttery eggplant….well that's a match made in heaven. At least for the Missus.

The two guys who work here already know my order as I walk in the front door!

The Noble Chef
6159 Balboa Avenue
San Diego, CA 92111

One quick note – as of August 1st, the Noble Chef will be closing on Tuesdays.

And in case you (might) want a laugh on this Wednesday:

Every once in a while I'll overhear something funny or just see something unfolding. I usually use the self checkout, but on this day I had a bunch of produce and doing that can be a pain in the self check-out so I went to the regular cashier line.

The creepy young man in the front of me kept trying to pick-up the cashier who was obviously not interested.

Finally, after paying he went for the "Hail Mary" and told the young lady: "You know, when I look in the mirror…I see a 10….a ten-point-oh…..a perfect ten!"

Yikes, what a creep. The young lady just ignored him and he went on his way.

After having my stuff ringed up and bagging my groceries…well, I just couldn't help myself and said: "You know that what the dude is seeing in the mirror is actually a reflection of 0.01, right?"

The young lady cracked up.

Hope you're having a great week!

And….just 'cuz I'm interested, have you been craving anything recently?

Roadtrip (2022) – Ragamuffin Coffee (Oxnard), Ojai Certified Farmers Market (Ojai), Olive Hill Farm, and Lunch at Los Olivos Wine Merchant & Cafe (Los Olivos)

July 26, 2022 mmm-yoso American/New American Restaurants, Caffeine Fix, Farmer's Markets/Night Market, Markets & Grocers, Road Trip, Santa Barbara County, Travel, Ventura County

Whew, ever sine we got back from Ojai, the Missus has been wanting the amazing produce we got from the Ojai Certified Farmers Market. In addition, there was a place I'd been eyeing out to try in Santa Barbara county. So, we planned a overnight road trip to hit up some favorites, old and new, then grab dinner, and as it would turn out lunch from what is a new favorite of ours.

We first drove up to Ventura County and stopped at a place I've posted on twice before; Ragamuffin Coffee.

I needed a caffeine boost for all the driving and the Missus wanted some natural process beans.

Just what I needed.

Ragamuffin Coffee Roasters
550 Collection Blvd. (In the Annex Food Hall)
Oxnard, CA 93036

Next up a quick drive up to Ojai to the Farmer's Market.

We got three baskets of tomatoes from this stand…..last time we chowed it all down before we left town!

More broccolini.

And some eggs…..which are so good.

The Missus eyed some nectarines from this stand.

And ended up buying a half dozen….

And She's already has me planning our next trip up!

Ojai Certified Farmers Market
300 E Matilija St.
Ojai, CA 93023

I then made the 90 minutes drive to Los Olivos. We'd be having dinner and spending the evening in Los Alamos (California, not NM) and our room wouldn't be ready for a while; so I thought a stop in Los Olivos would be nice.

We stopped in at our favorite Olive Oil stop during our last visit here Olive Hill Farm.

We did a light tasting and the wonderful, no-nonsense young lady working was amazing with spot on flavor profiles.

We ended up getting a bottle of the Lucca.

Olive Hill Farm
2901 Grand Ave
Los Olivos, CA 93441

I'm thinking that we have a pretty large collection of Olive Oil right now…maybe I should do a tasting post. What do you think?

It was around time for lunch, so we took a look at a couple of places. Unfortunately, even thought the Fess Parking Inn is still there.

The restaurant we enjoyed in the Inn, the Bear and Star has been replaced.

So, we took a look across the street and decided to have lunch at the Los Olivos Wine Merchant & Cafe.

Along with the outdoor dining, there was a wind shop, bar, and restaurant.

The Missus had seen a salad being brought to one of the tables when we walked pass, which is how we decided on this place.

It was the Grilled Romaine Wedge.

I will often grill romaine or cabbage these days which the Missus enjoys, so this was a no-brainer for Her. She enjoyed the bacon and gorgonzola, and the salad wasn't over-dressed.

I looked over the daily specials menu. It was pretty hot, so I decided to order a bowl of the Japanese Cucumber Gazpacho.

While I would have preferred this a bit smoother with more of the vegetal "chorophyllic" cucumber flavors, it was quite refreshing with a clean finish.

I also ordered the Zucchini Sticks.

While some of the pieces of zucchini were under cooked and too hard for my taste, there were a couple that were nice and creamy. These were nicely seasoned and not overly salty.

This was a decent lunch, though nothing special; the staff was quite busy, but were professional and doing their best.

Los Olivos Wine Merchant & Cafe
2879 Grand Ave.
Los Olivos, CA 93441

As we strolled on over to our car, the Missus and I remarked about how much we enjoyed the vibe of Los Olivos. We just wished there were better accommodations (like under $400/night) and perhaps a nice destination restaurant.

It was a nice visit though….and it had been almost five years since we were last here!

We got back to the car and headed off…..Los Alamos beckoned.

Dining In at Golden City

July 22, 2022 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants

**** Golden City has closed

Calvin recently told me that he wanted to grab some lunch….not meet outdoors for a lunch to go; but actually dine in. Of course we’d take precautions; masks, tests, and eat during the middle of the week at 11am. As for what he wanted? He was craving Golden City, which used to be a pretty regular stop for us when our offices were located in Kearney Mesa. It was interesting…….even though I’ve done takeout from Golden City during the pandemic, the last time I actually ate in the restaurant was with Calvin at the beginning of 2019! Over 3 1/2 years ago!

So, I arrived and waited a minute or so before Calvin got there. We were the first and other than one other group that arrived about 20 minutes into our meal, the only folks dining. There was a steady flow of takeout business though.

GC In 01

Based on my last takeout post on Golden City a month ago, you might be asking if I’m just a glutton for punishment. Still, I did want to see if the Kwai Fei Chicken was goin to be better then what I’d last gotten for takeout.

So, of course we ordered that, plus two items from the lunch specials menu.

Since we had ordered the two lunch specials soup was included. Both Calvin and I got the hot and sour soup.

GC In 02

Which was really bad. Look at that color; it was so thick like glue, you could smell the vinegar smell from a distance. Both Calvin and I took one sip and were done.

This did not bode well for the meal; but things turned around quickly once the Kwai Fei Chicken arrived.

GC In 03 GC In 04 Take a look at the color of the ginger-scallion sauce to the right and compare it to what I had gotten on my last takeout visit. This had the perfect amount of ginger, tasted crisp, and was perfect. Versus the browning, rancid flavored stuff I’d had last time.

The chicken, while still not as flavorful as it was when I used to get it at the old Convoy location; this was super moist and tender. Which made me wonder; Kwai Fei Ji should travel well, its served at room temperature or colder so I don’t think this would be a takeout versus dining in issue. Perhaps the “B” team was on during my last visit?

Speaking of “B” team, look at the rice we were served.

GC In 05

Can you see the hard clump? And the uneven cooking?

I had forgotten that Calvin doesn’t care for eggplant, so we ended up getting the Salted Fish and Chicken with Tofu instead of eggplant.

GC In 06

In spite of needing some “color” other than greyish-white….the presentation looked awful, this was decent if not quite up to the versions at Noble Chef in terms of funky-salty tones from the salted fish. The tofu was soft and tender as were the pieces of chicken, the dish wasn’t over salty.

Calvin enjoys eating with me because he can get dishes that his Missus won’t eat….or even allow in the house for that matter! We got the Crispy Pork Intestines.

GC In 07

This had a decent offal-ly flavor if a bit on the sweet side. The sweetness nullified any of the salty-earthiness that the fermented black bean would contribute. The intestines were hard and chewy instead of crisp and the “sauce” was a bit too “gloppy” and clumpy.

Still, the Kwai Fei Chicken was better than any version I’ve had in recent memory. Which, on this day was good enough for me.

GC In 08

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

Mexico City (2022) – Museo Frida Kahlo and Lunch at Tostadas Coyoacan

July 21, 2022 mmm-yoso Mexican Restaurants, Mexico, Mexico City, Travel

After a thoroughly enjoyable caffeine stop, we headed to Museo Frida Kahlo.

It was a nice stroll ad a line soon formed outside "La Casa Azul", the house where Frida Kahlo was born and where she lived with her husband Diego Rivera. We had gotten tickets online which was a good move as folks who came without tickets were out of luck for the day.

I've read that Frida Kahlo produced only about 200 paintings during her lifetime. But it is both her work, some of which are dark, emotional, surreal, and project the constant pain she was in after first contracting polio when she was 6, which caused her right leg to be shorter than her left and then the bus accident when she was 18 when the bus she was riding in hit a trolley causing a metal handrail to impale her. And her somewhat tumultuous marriages to Diego Rivera (they were married twice and Diego had an affair with Frida's younger sister!).

Of her paintings 55 were self portraits.

One of Frida Kahlo's most well known quotes:

"My painting carries with it the message of pain.”

The upstairs portion are fascinating to many as it has her bedroom and studio….where you can see her wheelchair stationed at the easel she used.

And the bedroom and bed where she spent so much time recovering from the accident and then her last years when she was in declining health.

For us, it was the medical portion and the corsets that Frida had to wear that really made an impact.

It really brought home the pain and suffering of Frida.

Walking in the garden area, I was struck by the displays of the tumultuous life of the artist, with the wonderful peaceful tranquility of the garden.

Which I guess just hits home the complexity of the duality of life……

Museo Frida Kahlo is well worth the time.

Frida Kahlo Museum
Londres 247
Coyoacán, 04100 Ciudad de México, CDMX, Mexico

For lunch we headed back down Ignacio Allende to Mercado Coyoacan.

Where it seems that you could get every kind of trinket you could possibly want!

IMG_1651_02

The interior though, was a hustling and bustling market.

I had recommendations and read quite a bit about Tostadas Coyoacan which is located in the Market, so we found the bustling stand.

We ordered three Tostadas which arrived in minutes. Man, they've got quite the system going.

The amount of protein piled on the tostadas is quite admirable for the price.

The best of the bunch was the Camarones which had a nice balance of sour to salt and the shrimp were tender. The chicken in the Pollo Mole was quite tough and dry; the mole really weak in flavor. The pork in the Cochinita was tender, but was quite weak in terms of flavor from the typical aromatics (i.e. oregano/cinnamon/cumin).

Still, the most expensive tostada was the camarones which is about $2.50/US, the other two are about a buck-fifty; so I wasn't going to whine too much about this meal.

Tostadas Coyoacán (In Mercado de Coyoacán)
Ignacio Allende No.49
Coyoacán, 04100 CDMX, Mexico

After lunch we crossed the street to Jardín Allende where there was an arts and crafts market.

We strolled around a bit before calling our Uber and heading back to our hotel.

Where a nice afternoon nap was awaiting us!

Thanks for stopping by!

The La Chorreada Taco Truck

July 20, 2022 mmm-yoso Food Trucks, Mexican Restaurants

Earlier this year I noticed a new taco truck in the parking lot of V-Outlet.

La Chorreada 01 La Chorreada 02 On occasion I would take either my or the Missus's car to Victor's next door for a hand carwash, especially after roadtrips. So, during one of those sessions I decided to have some tacos while waiting for the Missus's car.

I liked the table set-up next to the truck; it was even better that I had the spot all to myself.

And even though taco prices have gone up a bit; it is still the most inexpensive non-chain option in the area, another plus. The woman working was very gracious and I placed my order.

I know most folks would have done the carne asada or carnitas….but it had been a while since I'd had some nice street tacos, so I went with the Lengua and the Cabeza tacos.

La Chorreada 03 La Chorreada 04
There were several things I immediately liked….the sautéed onions on the side. I'm thinking that Covid precautions meant that the salsa; in this case a salsa verde is served in a container on the side.

I really enjoyed the lengua, which was quite tender, very beefy, the guacamole added a nice rich creaminess to the tacos. The corn tortillas were adequate for the task; having a nice maize flavor and being a sturdy vessel for the fillings.

The Cabeza was decent, a bit tougher than I prefer, but quite beefy over all.

La Chorreada 05

Overall, this was a nice change of pace for the neighborhood and I enjoyed it!

So, after our last roadtrip, I decided to bring my car in for a wash and of course I strolled over to La Chorreada to grab some lunch while I was waiting.

La Chorreada 06 La Chorreada 06b Again I was the only customer and even though it was just 1045 in the morning I was the only customer, which made me a bit concerned about sustaining business.

I placed my order and had a seat at the table to wait for my order. For some reason, I was entertained by the cover as it would rise with the wind, creating a "groovy" wave of sorts….

On this visit I got the buche, adobada, and chorizo con nopales. Three tacos, for $7.50 without tax.

La Chorreada 07 La Chorreada 08 I should have known better, but perhaps I was missing CDMX, the adobada obviously was not on the trompo and was really mild. The buche was interesting, enjoyable texture, decent offaly flavor, and did really well with a squeeze of lime and the guacamole.

La Chorreada 09 I enjoyed the textural contrast of the Chorizo with Nopales….but of course I enjoy the supposed "mucilaginous" texture. I do think I'd enjoy a more assertive flavor component.

La Chorreada 10

It's hard to be negative about paying $7.50 for lunch these days, so I'm going to leave it at that.

I'm happy to have the La Chorreada truck in the neighborhood as it gives me an option to the usual chain or corporate style food that is prevalent here. La Chorreada 11

The Tacos La Chorreada Truck (In the Parking Lot of V-Outlet)
3030 Clairemont Dr
San Diego, CA 92117