mmm-yoso – Page 89

Paris (2022) – Circling Back to Arnaud Nicolas and Romance is Alive in the City of Lights

May 21, 2022 mmm-yoso France, French Restaurants, Paris, France, Travel, yoso-silly

We had a nice little nap after our lunch at Ippudo. Also, we had dinner reservations in the 7th and of course the Missus would want to walk there and back, so we'd be putting in a few miles on this day….I wanted to get in a bit of rest.

I knew that our walk to Arnaud Nicolas was going to be about 3 miles each way and we had reservations for right when they opened at 7pm. So we headed out at around 530 to give us some time to window shop, dawdle, and make stops to check things out.

Sunset was after 9pm in Paris, so it still looked like a bright and sunny Saturday. Look how busy it was along the Seine.

We actually took a longer route because the Missus wanted to see how things were coming along at Notre Dame.

Things were much more calm in the 7th……

We got to Arnaud Nicolas right at opening time. Arnaud Nicolas had sort of become a tradition for us since we first ate here at the end of 2017. We made it a point to try and revisit whenever we could. We had reservations for our last night in Paris back at the end of 2019, but due to getting stranded by the transit strike we never made it. So we were looking forward to this meal. Once seated we noticed a couple of things…..the staff, though still friendly were not quite up to snuff….our Server was so nice, but really couldn't tell us about the wine or even the dishes…I'm guessing Covid staff shortages and such. The place also filled up quite quickly, which is not the norm in Paris where folks eat a bit later…..after a few moments it became quite clear, all the customers were either Ex-pats or tourists.

Listening in to what folks ordered was interesting as no one ordered any charcuterie; which to us is what Arnaud Nicolas winner of the Meilleur Ouvrier de France (MOF) at the young age of 24 was known for. And soon, again probably due to Covid staffing, the three staff were pretty much in the weeds.

As for us……this is what we got…

The Asperges Vertes – green asparagus dish was fine.

The asparagus, in season during our visit was sweet and tender, the egg yolk added a creamy-richness, though the popcorn seemed a weird addition; perhaps it was added for texture, but it really didn't seem to belong in this dish.

Of course the Foie Gras Mi-Cuit was delicious.

Perfectly textured, with a wonderful balance of offal-sweet tones, it's one of my favorites versions.

Sadly, another favorite of mine, the Pate en Croute of pork and foie gras really fell short. In the past, it was the crisp, light pastry that really made this a favorite of mine. This time it was really hard and chewy….it was even difficult to cut! It was also very cold, which detracted from the flavors as well.

The Fromage de Tete – head cheese also wasn't quite the same as before as it lacked the complex combination of flavors from the different porky pig head parts…..it was strangely on the bland side. We were happy to have the nice and punchy Sauce Gribiche on hand.

The Missus had always enjoyed the Rum Baba here and I was relieved that She still liked it.

While I had a Calvados as my digestif.

Overall, we were a bit disappointed with this meal….perhaps we had expected too much…perhaps Covid had really affected supplies…..we did give the place a pass on the service because of it.

Perhaps next time we'll just order takeout from the deli and have a foie gras picnic.

Arnaud Nicolas
46 Avenue de la Bourdonnais
75007 Paris, France

After dinner, the Missus wanted to see one of Her favorite views of the Eiffel Tower, so we headed across the Seine to the area around Trocadero.

Where She snapped a ton of photos.

I noticed how peaceful things looked along the Seine so we went down the stairs and walked along the river; where we came across something wonderful.

A group of folks had gathered both on the sidewalk above and along the river.

There was a sign was set-up, candles, photographers, a violinist! Music was playing! All with a view of the Eiffel Tower!

A nervous looking gentleman in a suit paced back and forth……it looks like a marriage proposal was going to happen.

As time passed more people gathered…all here to watch the spectacle. All strangers sharing in a special moment.

We figured that the proposal was to go down when the when the lights of the Eiffel Tower were sparkling!

How romantic!

That time came and went…..it seems the bride to be was a bit late.

Regardless, a few minutes later, a young lady appeared on the walkway and covered her mouth in surprise as she saw the sign…….we all cheered at her arrival. The Missus has an actual video of this, but it was kind of on the dark side, so I didn't include it.

The music played, the crowd cheered, and I'm fairly certain she said "yes".

We were thrilled to have seen this…….

The Missus and I kept smiling during our walk back to the apartment.

Romance is indeed alive in the "City of Lights". Wouldn't you agree?

Paris (2022) – Bo & Mie, Ippudo, and Getting Reacquainted

May 20, 2022 mmm-yoso Airport/Airline/Cruise/Rail Food, Bakery, Croissants, France, Japanese Restaurants, Markets & Grocers, Paris, France, Ramen, Travel

And so it came to pass…..almost two-and-a-half years since we were last in Europe, we headed back. There were so many thoughts going thru our heads as we planned and then left for our first stop; Paris. Would it still be our favorite city? Was cafe culture going to be impacted…..what kind of precautions were in place? How would traveling during these times be?

On our flight outward it seemed that the quality of the food on our flights and in the lounges seemed to have taken a hit….generous portions; but not very good eats…

That shrimp salad was surprisingly the best item we had during transit.

As for masks? Well, almost nil on our flight from San Diego to LHR and in the airport. Required on the flight from LHR to CDG and also on the RER Blue Line though very sparse in Paris as a whole.

We arrived in Paris at around 10m and since we decided to stay at the same 'ol AirBnb off Rue Montorgueil, we were familiar the RER Blue line drill, getting off at Les Halles, then the short walk for key pick-up at the Key Cafe Kiosk on Rue Marie Stuart, before heading to the apartment. We were shocked at how busy all the businesses on Rue Montorgueil were….places seemed packed to the gills! The crowd also seemed much younger than I recalled. I guess I needn't have worried too much about all the cafes going out of business as overflow customers were actually standing on the sidewalks having their drinks and socializing. I thought that perhaps this was because it was a Friday night; but it seems that on almost every night all the cafes/bars were packed until at least 10pm.

The next morning I woke early, the Missus was still sleeping off the jet lag, so I decided to head on out and grab some croissants. Rue Montorgueil seemed totally different at this time of the day.

Place Goldoni seemed so peaceful.

I headed down the rather "gritty" Rue Saint-Denis past Passage du Grand Cerf….

And at the intersection with Rue de Turbigo was Bo et Mie, a place I had in my "Croissant Files" list.

The place was quite modern and what we found on this trip was that just about everywhere in Paris now takes plastic; albeit folks instantly knew you were American once you busted out the card since most US Credit Cards will not do chip and pin and/or need a signature.

It was very easy ordering in line, paying by card, and heading out. Bo & Mie has three locations in Paris and is obviously not a Artisan Boulanger, but I had read some pretty good things about the place.

Bo & Mie
18 Rue de Turbigo
75002 Paris, France

I took a different way back; heading past Les Halles and onto Rue Montorgueil, where things were still quite peaceful this morning.

Saint Eustache looked quite lovely in the morning sun.

Once back at the apartment; the Missus made me some coffee via the "pod machine" and we had the croissants.

This was not bad….lacking in enough salt and butter, though it had a decent flakiness and the interior was light and fluffy.

By now it was time to head on out for our "morning assignments". Mine was to pick-up our pocket wifi. The company that I'd been dealing with over the years now had a splashy new store on Opera and the Missus had Her sights on Chanel Cambon; so we headed on out in that general direction. One thing we noticed is that Paris seems to be getting smaller for us. We got to Place des Victoires so very quickly.

At this pace we'd be getting to our destination before opening time; so I decided to take a detour to what I read was the longest passage in Paris; Passage Choiseul.

According to this wonderful post, Passage Choiseul has only been reopened to the public since 2013.

There seemed to be quite a number of eateries in the passage.

We took our sweet old time…..and in doing so we noticed things we had before like Place Gaillon.

We popped out on always busy Opera and picking up our pocket wifi….or as they call it here "weefee"…..

And then it was time to hit up Chanel Cambon; which I've detailed in earlier posts. After which we explored the "high rent district" before deciding to head on back to the apartment.

On the way back; on Rue du 4 Septembre, we passed a Picard. Tomorrow would be May 1st, which is Labour Day in France. It is a major holiday here and many places would be closed. I had dinner reservations, but we decided to head into Picard to see if we could get something for that day's lunch.

Picard is a frozen food grocery store chain, with over 900 locations in France. It's fun checking out these shops….think of Trader Joe's frozen food section on steroids….

We bought some frozen morels and an eggplant dish for our Labour Day lunch.

On the way back we were getting a bit hungry. In spite of it being late April, things felt a bit on the chilly side. Before our trip, having been to Paris once or twice a year since 2016 (except for those Covid years) we had decided to treat Paris like a home away from home….sure, we'd indulge in a Michelin meal or two, but since we sincerely believe we'll be returning until we're not able to travel any longer, we'd just have fun, exploring, but not overdoing the sights, museums and such.

And since our last real meal in Paris was Ramen, we thought it would be fun to have some slurping for lunch! And, having been to Ippudo locations in Osaka and Kyoto, I was interested to see how the Louvre location would compare…..so why not, right?

We arrived a shade past the noon opening time and went with an outdoor table….yes, it was a bit chilly, but the ramen would cure that. We were surprised at how quickly the restaurant filled up….though no one chose an outdoor table until there were none left inside.

As we usually do at Ippudo and other ramen shops in Japan; we ordered a ramen, this time the Akamaru Special and also a rice bowl, which in the case here was a Teriyaki Pork Don.

First off, the broth was totally Ippudo; not overly salty, nice and rich tongue coating thickness, porky, the black garlic oil adding a nice nutty, sesame flavor with a pleasant pungent-sweetness.

The tamago was a perfect orb of egginess.

The weak link was the noodles. This was a total Hakata style noodle fail as the thin noodles were very brittle and hard; lacking any "pull".

The rice bowl was fine….

The rice was cooked decently; something that we'd find was not the norm in Paris. The pork crisp and light…..

The customers were all Parisians as far as we could tell; no other Asians in sight. This was quite interesting as we'd find Parisians had quite diverse tastes during this trip to Paris.

Ippudo
74-76 Rue Jean-Jacques Rousseau
75001 Paris, France

As we headed back to the apartment, the sun had come out…..and with that, all of the Parisians……

Enjoying the sun and socializing. It was as if Covid never happened. Or perhaps folks were relishing and celebrating a hopeful return to normalcy? It was just a tad too crowded for us, so we decided to head on back to the apartment and rest up. We'd be headed to a favorite of ours for dinner.

Thanks for stopping by!

Paris, Sort Of (Before Covid) – Staying at the Sheraton Paris Airport Hotel and Heading Home

May 19, 2022 mmm-yoso Airport/Airline/Cruise/Rail Food, France, Paris, France, Travel

I'm doing this pre-Covid travel post out of order since I'll probably start posts on our latest trip and this one really sets up those posts. After spending a nice night and morning in Paris following our stay in Israel and Jordan we headed to Avignon and Provence, where we had a wonderful time. Though I was monitoring a situation. And the news did come down while we were in Avignon. On December 5th, 2019 France's transit workers went on strike. The strike was set to go on until the 10th, which was the day our flight was scheduled to leave CDG. We were scheduled to return via train from Avignon to Paris on the 8th of December, but that wasn't going to happen. So, I set into action; our wonderful AirBnb Host (you are an angel Fabienne) allowed us to stay in Avignon an extra night, she even offered to drive us to Marseille! So, I quickly booked a flight from MRS to CDG. I then went ahead and used our points and booked a Club floor room at the Sheraton located right in Terminal 2.

The downside? Well, we lost two last evenings in Paris, along with two restaurants we had reservations at, one of which had become a regular stop for us.

We found ourselves in the Air France line at the airport in Marseille, right behind the cutest passenger ever!

Once we landed, being somewhat familiar with CDG, finding the Sheraton was no problem. Several trips back, I remember getting off the RER Blue Line at terminal 2 and commenting to the Missus; "look, there's a Sheraton here!" Little did I know.

We found the hotel lounge at grabbed an afternoon snack.

At dinner time, we headed back to the lounge and I grabbed another bottle of beer, the Missus a glass of wine, a plate of food, and we headed back to our room.

Which we supplemented with stuff we had bought in Provence.

While we watched night set in over the airport……

And woke as the sun rose in the morning……

The British Airways counter and gates were all the way on the other side of Terminal 2, so we headed over, checked-in, and hit the lounge for our breakfast.

And we did make our flights. One thing I noticed are the Business Class meals pre-Covid.

Which you'll be able to compare to what we had on our latest trip.

Some other meals during our layover and flight back to San Diego.

While we missed out on those last two days, I remember telling the Missus; "well, we can just make it up during our trip next year…."

Little did I know that "next year" would be cancelled and turn into two-and-a-half years later……

Thanks for stopping by!

Circling Back to Chicago Fire Grill

May 18, 2022 mmm-yoso Hot Dogs

As I start circling back to all those "usual" places close to office before our last trip; I decided to start with Chicago Fire Grill. It had been a few months, so I decided to drop by.

Unfortunately, George wasn't there on this morning, so no pearls of wisdom on this day.

The Chicago Dog is priced at $8…….which these days is a bargain here in San Diego.

The portion of fries is about two-thirds the amount of before; but these days it's fried to a decent crispness.

The dog; is well, a Chicago Dog, a Vienna Beef dog with a decent "snap", there were three Sport Peppers this time….two were sneakily hidden, and of course the necessary fluorescent green relish….the slices of tomato, pickle wedge…..well, it had been appropriately "dragged thru the garden".

And these days I'm happy with that. Though I did miss George….so maybe next time.

Chicago Fire Grill
8935 Towne Centre Dr.
San Diego, CA 92122

We’re Back!

May 17, 2022 mmm-yoso Edinburgh, France, Paris, France, Scotland, Travel

Well, after dipping our toes in the "Covid world" of travel by visiting CDMX and other locales in Mexico and needing to use our travel vouchers, we decided to go for it. Being unable to travel had created a large chasm in our lives and we really missed travelling, especially to what had become our favorite city. You know the place, right?

During our last visit, back at the end of 2019, we were supposed to end our travels there, but fate intervened (I'll get to that post, I promise) and we ended our trip by staying at the airport. And then came Covid, so there definitely was unfinished business here.

We started and ended our trip here this time, though there was a "bump in the road" (no, it wasn't Covid) which fortunately didn't affect us too much.

The Missus and I started things off by revisiting some old favorites.

And we got to see early on that things were, well, even more busy than we recalled. It could be that we had gotten used to "Covid vacancy", but it also seems like the demographic had changed for our favorite areas as well. But we were happy to see that cafe culture, which I was worried the pandemic would change was in fact going strong.

And then we were off to our next stops……where the Missus was kind enough to indulge my desire to see some specific "sites".

This city has so much to see and a wealth of history.

And even more fascinating stories……

After being cooped up during the pandemic, we decided to splurge and I booked us a private tour over four days…..

Where I got to try some traditional dishes in the appropriate setting. And I really enjoyed it!

And the next part I set-up for the Missus…..

Which was on a charming island.

Which we really enjoyed…….

And the Missus found Her "spirit animal"….

And She found a dish liked as well……

On our way back to the "big city" we made some interesting stops.

Back in this wonderful city, we got to check off two more places on my "list".

And it also has a San Diego "connection" as well.

And lest you think all we ate was traditional food…well….

People were warm, friendly, and the pace was more relaxed then other municipalities we've visited of the same size.

Back where we started we had a wonderful apartment…..with a view that always grabbed our attention at all hours.

And we got to "feed" some of our food obsessions.

And try out a couple of places in the city we'd always wanted to check out.

Along with eating as we usually do here…..

Along with just wandering amongst all those familiar stops…….

And checking on the progress of other places…..

I even took a baking class.

And while things had indeed changed; we took reasonable precautions and actually did self tests during our stay, what hadn't changed was our love of travel. And we were relieved to find that our love of this city hadn't changed.

What has changed is that I'm over two years older…so, while I get over my jet lag, keep your eyes peeled…..

While I recover and get back into "San Diego time".

And we'll see you soon….but right now, we gotta run!

Thanks for stopping by!

Qin West Noodle (UTC)

April 26, 2022 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants

I know quite a few people who were excited that LA Based Qin West opened in UTC this past February. I figured that the place would be pretty darn busy, so I waited. And based on what I'd heard; 45 minute waits for food, mistakes on takeout orders, super salty dishes. I think waiting for a couple of months was a good idea. Finally, a few weeks ago I headed over to UTC and easily found parking at 1055 in the morning. I parked by Macy's and made the short walk over to Qin West.

It's a pretty simple interior; from the front counter where you order….

To the simple fast-foodish dining area.

The menu is clearly posted; featuring Shaanxi specialties, along with Sichuan influenced dishes.

My timing was good; early in the week and just at opening time. By the time I got my food, about 20 minutes, there was a line to the door.

I purposely ordered too much food for just my lunch…..thinking that I'd take most of it home to have the Missus sample. The one dish I made sure to order was the Yang Rou Pao Mo ($15.99). As you've probably read ad nauseum, I haven't had a decent version of this dish outside of China; Xi'an to be precise. A lot of this has to do with the lack of appropriate bread; which, you break up by hand and place in a muttony broth to soak up all the flavors. The bread looks like this.

All versions I've had whether here in San Diego or in the SGV, all have featured a waxy, slippery starchy "breadish" stuff that doesn't sop up the broth. So imagine my surprise when I unloaded my food and saw this.

I think I actually swore out loud!

I eagerly broke up the bread; it was a little too soft and leavened, but it wasn't too bad. And of course I poured the broth over everything.

The lamb was not very gamy and was leaner than I would prefer, but the broth, while a bit heavy handed with the white pepper, wasn't too bad.

This is probably the best overall version of yang rou pao mo I've had outside of China. While I've had a decent version with regards to the lamb and broth (which was better than this), Qin West has the most complete "package" overall. I'll definitely have this again.

Man, I'm hoping to have this….the version from Tong Sheng Xiang (同盛祥) again one day….

I also ordered the Twice Cooked Pork ($14.95)….which should have been called "spicy stir fried napa cabbage"……you could count the amount of pork in the dish on one hand.

This was just oily and spicy…….not in the "ma-la" way….as in why not just drink chili oil with salt. I did notice something interesting; Qin West likes to use both dried chilies and huge pieces of jalapenos in their dishes. This was pretty bad.

I also order the combination Liang Cai ($14.75).

Two-thirds of this was pretty good; the pig ear had a nice crunch and the slices were generous; it went well with the chili oil. The Pai Huang Gua; smacked cucumbers were really bland, it just needed more garlic-soy sauce-salt, you name it. The tendon, while cut on the thick side and was fairly crunchy overall wasn't bad. The Missus did enjoy the pig ear and the tendon.

We actually had the liang cai over the course of three meals!

This was not bad overall….

A week later I decided to check out Qin West again. Same strategy; early in the week, just at opening time, for takeout.

There were already 4 customers in front of me when I arrived, but no one behind me when I placed my order. Maybe they saw the young lady working the register chowing away while she took orders???

Isn't there some kind of food handling ordinance regarding this?

I placed my order which was ready in less than 15 minutes; before anyone else's……

Anyway, folks I knew were raving about the Liang Pi ($10.95), so I ordered that.

The portion size of this was quite generous. The noodles were still nice and chilled when I got back to the office….of course it's less than a 10 minute drive back. The noodles were a bit thicker than I like my "cold skin noodles", emphasis on "skin" and not as "bouncy" as I prefer. I enjoyed the blanched bean sprouts and the palate refreshing cucumbers, a must for this dish. It was definitely spicy enough, though I do like some black vinegar tones and a hint more garlic. But this is probably the best version we've got in San Diego right now.

I was also wondering about the Cumin Beef ($16.25) and ordered it. And then second thoughts crept in as I recalled the Twice Cooked Pork Napa Cabbage. The beef however, was pretty good.

Notice the QW playbook move of both jalapenos and dried chilies? The beef was adequately tender; the portion size quite generous. While being a bit on the salty side; this really had enough cumin. In fact, when I opened up the container at my desk one of the guys in the office that day happened to be walking by and said out loud:

"What's that smell?"

I immediately apologized:

"Sorry, I ran out of deodorant this morning….."

I might have this dish again; but probably will not eat it in the office.

It does seem like Qin West is a good new addition to UTC. I need to try other items on the menu like the ro jia mo…..

Qin West Noodle
4353 La Jolla Village Drive (In UTC)
San Diego, CA 92122
Current Hours:
Daily 11am – 7pm

Verbena Kitchen – A Quick Look

April 25, 2022 mmm-yoso American/New American Restaurants

*** Verbena Kitchen has closed

*** As we continue our "quick look" series – be aware that these posts are based on single visits

After dining at Wolf in the Woods and Black Radish, the Missus implored me to find yet another new place to have an early, not-crowded or outdoor dining place to try. I recalled that a restaurant named Verbena Kitchen had opened in the spot where Splash Wine Lounge used to be. I sent a the Missus a link to the website and She just didn't seem interested!!! I then sent Her the link to the Happy Hour menu….which starts at 4pm, which for us, in these times where we really don't want to be around too many people sounded perfect. So I made reservations for an outdoor table at 4pm.

We arrived exactly at 4pm and was met with the most friendly, gracious guy whose name I believe is Dallas. He was wonderful to deal with. And since it was a bit windy on this day, he even saved us a table indoors in case we didn't want to eat outdoors. But we found an outdoor table in the corner, where sun still shone on us that we liked. Even though the outdoor seating is located street side and the traffic light meant buses and cars stopped right next to us; we enjoyed watching all the pooches walking by and the staff were so very nice.

And he was quick to tell us about the Happy Hour menu.

The Missus had a sangria which She enjoyed….in fact She had a second one!

The Missus enjoys Deviled Eggs so we got 5 at $2 a piece for HH, versus $15 on the regular menu.

The Missus cracked up at the micro cilantro…..if you've seen any of the soups I make, you'll notice that we use a heck of a lot of micro cilantro these days. This was our favorite dish of the evening. Even though the crab on the deviled eggs were pretty much an afterthought we loved the mustard forward flavor of the egg yolk mixture which was texturally nice and creamy. The whites were cooked nicely as well.

The Oysters were our least favorite dish on the evening $1/each HH, versus $18 for a half dozen regular menu.

If you've ever read any of my posts where we eat raw oysters, you'll know that I don't put a lot of "stuff" on my oyster. I prefer at most, a touch of lemon and really savor the "finish" of the raw oyster. These Baja oysters were super briny, almost salty, without the nice "cucumbery" or "briny raw beef" finish. It just seemed to lack nuance. Still, at six bucks……

We also got the Peruvian Shrimp Ceviche $14HH, $17 regular price.

So, while this didn't use a "leche de tigre" for the cebiche as they would do in Peru; it was not bad. The aji amarillo was quite mild and this wasn't overly acidic. I did like the combination of Inka Corn, Furikake, tomato, red onion, and the aji. For some reason, I really liked it matched up with those sweet potato chips…perhaps I was channeling camote? The one thing we didn't care for was that the shrimp was fully cooked….not in lime juice, but actually fully cooked, rubbery, and tasteless. Heck, I could have just had everything but the shrimp and be perfectly happy.

We weren't sure about the Wagyu Beef Tartare ($18) when it arrived at our table.

It seemed drenched in mayo, which turned out to be a decently flavored Dijon based aioli. We liked the grated cured egg yolk, which tasted like good salted egg yolk. We weren't sure about the fermented mushrooms, but they were very meaty in texture, and the capers really, well "capped" off the dish. The beef was cut a bit too coarse, but this was a pretty good dish overall. The slices of cucumber seemed to have had rice vinegar drizzled on it. I'd have this again.

Overall, a decent meal, for a very nice price, the most inexpensive of these "quick look" dinners. A big plus was the friendly and gracious staff. "Dallas" told us to return on a Thursday when it's Happy Hour prices all evening. I do think we'll return.

Verbena Kitchen
3043 University Ave.
San Diego, CA 92104
Current Hours:
Wed – Thurs 4pm – 9pm
Friday 4pm – 10pm
Saturday 10am – 10pm
Sunday 10am – 230pm
Happy Hour from 4pm – 6pm and all evening Thursdays

A Takeout Revisit to The Congress Cafe and a Visit to the Memorial to Lucy, the White Deer of Mission Hills

April 24, 2022 mmm-yoso Breakfast/Brunch, Exploring San Diego, Venezuelan Food and Restaurants, yoso-silly

**** Congress Cafe in now Encuentro Cafe – Same Owners/Menu. You can read an updated post here.

Every so often, I'll go ahead and do a takeout revisit to Congress Cafe. The food is not quite on the same level as Mi Pana in my opinion, but who knows, I haven't been back there since before Covid. I really like the friendly folks at Congress Cafe and as that earlier post mentions, I enjoy walking around Old Town early in the morning before the crowds descend on the place.

It's always the same drill, I order at the Hostess Stand, go back to the bar area to pay; let the staff know that I'm going for a short walk to "earn" my Arepa. I usually get the Arepa Pabellon – still $13.95.

I'll return after about 15 minutes and take my Arepa somewhere………it's usually nearby Heritage Park, which never seems busy even on weekend mornings. I'll sit among the Victorian Homes …..

Or watch the dogs frolicking in the large open field….sometimes I see folks prepping for a wedding in the city's first Synagogue. It's peaceful and relaxing.

And the Arepa Pabellon from Congress Cafe has improved over time.

And while it's not quite as "super stuffed" it's a more balanced these days; at least to me. Sweet plantains, slightly milky cheese, earthy black beans, and moist shredded beef. I do wish the arepa was a bit more crisp, but this'll do.

Plus, like I mentioned earlier; everyone here is so warm and friendly.

Breakfast of champions, right?

The Congress Cafe
3941 Mason St.
San Diego, CA 92110
Current Hours:
Mon – Fri 8am – 2pm
Sa – Sun 8am – 3pm

On this morning, I was a bit later than usual, so I decided to check out one of my favorite spots in the area. Last summer, in the midst of going crazy with all the "Covid happenings" and missing all of our travels, I started doing some of what I'd call Urban Walks, like the Seven Bridges Walk I posted on. While doing a bit of research, I came across this post from back in 2016. The part that really caught my attention was the mention of "Lucy the White Deer if Mission Hills". Not sure if this was really true, I checked and found this Parks and Recreation report from 2006:

"This female white fallow deer roamed the hills of Mission Valley, Mission Hills,and Presidio Park. This doe escaped from the San Diego Zoo around 1965 and wandered free in Presidio Park for the next ten years."

Which sent me down into a rather shallow rabbit hole and a couple of interesting posts, some mentioned the albino deer escaping from the San Diego Zoo (of course this was denied), another saying that due to over-crowding issues, the San Diego Zoo sold the deer to someone in Mission Hills and the deer escaped. Whatever the story, I was hooked, heck even the San Diego History Center has a "memorial collection" on the deer, named Lucy.

According to the Ranger Report:

"The deer was spotted attempting to cross the I-8 freeway, and some locals reported seeing the deer get hit by a vehicle. Tragically, in the effort to catch the deer, Animal Control used a tranquilizer dart, which ultimately led to the deer’s death in December, 1975."

From what I read in various posts, Lucy was treasured and became sort of a mascot for the community. In fact, some of the "old timers" in the area said that Lucy's ghost haunts the area and they still see her on occasion.

Atlas Obscura mentions that over 125 people attended the service and burial of Lucy.

A fund was created and in 1976 a monument was completed dedicated to Lucy on the spot where she is buried.

So, where is this monument/memorial? You might be surprised. Have you ever driven west on Taylor Street parallel to the I-8? Right before the street to get to the Presidio you might have seen this. I was happy that the gate was open on this day.

I've heard the area on top of the hill is called "Inspiration Point", but I believe it's also called Presidio Park. I've often seen folks taking wedding photos on the platform with a view that sits on one side of the parking lot.

On the other side is this hilly green area.

And of course the views to Mission Valley are quite nice.

As you walk a bit higher you'll see a bench and three stones…..

This is the bench…..

And right next to the bench is the monument.

There's a concrete slab, with various animal footprints carved into it surrounding a watering hole.

And this plaque, which says:

“The White Deer of Mission Hills. Bliss in solitude beneath this tree, formless, silent, spirit free.

A friend.”

Such a wonderful tribute to a beloved member of the community.

Have a great week!

Paris (Before Covid) – Our Favorite Croissants from La Maison d’Isabelle (times 2) and Hakata Choten (Les Halles Location)

April 23, 2022 mmm-yoso Croissants, France, Japanese Restaurants, Paris, France, Travel

Our flight from Ben Gurion International Airport arrived right on time; a touch after 1pm. I had chosen to stay in Paris overnight and then head to Provence the following day. Then according to our plan, we'd return to Paris on the TGV and spend two evenings before heading home. Little did we know that this as not to be and this evening would be our last in Paris,,,and with Covid-19…..well, let's just say we probably would have been back in our favorite city at least 3 times since.

We caught the RER to Les Halles/Chatelet and because this was for just one evening stayed close by in the 4th Arrondissement at a small hotel on a side street. Of course, as soon as we checked in, the Missus was ready to go. And because we'd had breakfast and a lunch on our flight, I had a place on my "list" for something we're always on a hunt for in Paris…..Croissants. Now, the place I had in mind was all the way in the 5th Arrondissement….but you know the Missus…this was no problemo, so we headed out.

We loved the lovely familiarity as we walked past Hotel d'Ville and crossed the Seine. And of course, there's always something new to be seen, like this church just past Shakespeare and Co; named Saint-Julien-le-Pauvre.

And for there; it's just a short stroll to La Maison d’Isabelle which is on Boulevard Saint-Germain. We were somewhat familiar with the area having stayed close by during earlier visits.

As you can see La Maison d’Isabelle, which won the award for Best Croissant Au Buerre in Paris in 2018….as you can tell by the ginourmous sign. We had walked past this bakery several times over the years, though before they won. I walked in and order a Croissant Au Buerre, which looked quite lovely.

We immediately found a bench and cracked the croissant open….and holy smokes; the light, fluffy, interior, the heavenly light and crisp exterior, just the right amount of butter and salt. Easily the best we've had so far.

La Maison d’Isabelle
47T Boulevard Saint-Germain
75005 Paris, France

Buoyed by the croissant, the Missus decided She wanted to check out Hermes and since it was the Christmas season, I wanted to check out the window displays at Le Bon Marche. It was kind of chilly and a tad drizzly, but we did have a nice stroll and the Missus did not do any damage to our credit cards!

Like I said there's always something to see in Paris.

In the middle of a park like square is that sculpture above. This is Allée Pierre-Herbart named after writer and resistance fighter Pierre Herbart.

After heading back to the hotel and taking a short break we headed back out. This time we headed on over to Galeries Lafayette to check out the Christmas Displays.

Every year there's a new theme. Though every year there's the five story Christmas Tree in the middle of the store that slowly rotates.

I just become a kid again…the wonder, the fascination, it always puts me in the Christmas frame of mind.

We love watching the little kids with their noses pressed up against the window or climbing up the wooden stools so they can watch the displays.

As for dinner; well it was somewhat chilly and damp, we'd been away from home for almost two weeks and the Missus was missing Asian Food. On the way back to the hotel, I recalled that there was a location of Hakata Choten near Les Halles. The Missus had enjoyed the ramen at that location, so I suggested checking out the Les Halles location. The Missus really didn't need to be convinced.

It was nice and warm inside the restaurant, I don't think anyone would be eating outside tonight; the folks working actually tried talking to us in first French, then Japanese……we cracked up.

We ordered the Tonkotsu with Black Garlic (again) and the Missus also got some Sparkling Sake.

While the broth was a bit thinner than what we'd had at the Opera location; that black garlic oil added a nice savory-sweetness to things. It was still quite rich in a nice tongue-coating kind of way.

The noodles were just perfect, nice al dente "pull and chew".

While the Missus might now believe that Menya here in San Diego is better; this was just what we needed on this damp and chilly evening.

Hakata Choten Les Halles
16 Rue de la Grande Truanderie
75001 Paris, France

The following day our rain to Avignon was scheduled for noon, which meant, at least to the Missus that we could have yet another shot at the croissants from La Maison d’Isabelle which opens at 6am. So, we headed off before 6am……

And got our croissants; this time we noticed the trophies quite obviously displayed.

And it was just as good!

We actually took it over to the Cafe on the corner – Le Village Ronsard.

We followed unspoken café rule…..if an outdoor table has silverware on it; you must order food….if it sits without place settings; you can just get coffee. For us; it's usually a Cafe Allonge…..sort of like an Americano.

Le Village Ronsard
47T Boulevard Saint-Germain
75005 Paris, France

Bolstered by Caffeine the Missus wanted to go on a stroll, so we headed off to places that were familiar to us…..a "sleeping" Pantheon.

The market street Rue Mouffetard….

Then over to Place Monge, where the Marché Monge was getting set-up.

Soon enough, it was time to head back to grab our bags and then we were off to Gare Lyon and Avignon.

We took a moment to take a look at Notre Dame….the fire had occurred just a bit over 7 months earlier.

I hope to live long enough to see Notre Dame rise again!

Soon enough, we were on our TGV, off to Avignon!

**** Postscript: I recently heard from "FOY" AndyS……man, it had been over 8 years! It was great hearing from you Andy! I'm glad you are well. And since you wrote:

"Ramen has been my biggest fetish for the last few years. I was scouring LA and anywhere for ramen. Every visit to Japan, I made it a point to never repeat a single type of ramen in a trip and wow.. was I amazed at how diverse ramen is there."

And since there's ramen in this post…..I want to dedicate this post to you. It made my day to receive your email! Take care!

Jerusalem (Before Covid) – Exploring Machaneh Yehudah Market and the Old City, Lunch at Jachnun Bar, Dinner at Machneyuda, and Beer Bazaar

April 22, 2022 mmm-yoso Airport/Airline/Cruise/Rail Food, Beer, Israel/Palestine, Israeli Food, Middle Eastern Restaurants/Cuisine, Travel

**** This is another long one as I try to finish up our Israel posts; thanks for dropping by

I made sure to keep our last full day in Jerusalem open. I figured that we'd have seen enough over the last couple of days to figure out how we'd like to spend the day. And we started off at Machaneh Yehuda Market.

It was early and the food vendors weren't open yet, so we had a chance to check out the produce, bakery, and meat stalls….something we always enjoy and this was no exception.

We always learn so much about the culture and a region by just exploring the open air markets.

We stopped to check out the varieties of tea available in this shop and the very friendly young man started chatting with us. He was so nice and we came to find out that he is originally from new York City! Of course the Missus finding out he was from the states immediately started the "interrogation"….boy did the questions flow. And he was so nice, with a great sense of humor. I ended up getting a coffee and the Missus some tea….She even purchased some tea as well.

I asked the young man where to grab a Sabich and he made a recommendation…..he was so nice.

Machaneh Yehudah Market
Agripas St. 90
Jerusalem, Israel

From here we walked past Mamilla Mall and into the Old City.

This was a Monday and things seemed much quieter than the previous days.

And along with the now familiar sites…..

There were things we hadn't noticed on the previous day. At the Fifth Station of the Cross we saw this.

Apparently, this is where Christ stumbled and placed his hand on the wall to balance himself. And this is his handprint in stone along the Via Dolorosa.

We went ahead and followed the route in reverse from where we had started the previous day.

Until we arrived at the First Station where Pontius Pilate condemned Jesus to die and the Crown of Thorns was placed on his head.

Right past this spot is the Church of the Flagellation where Pilate had Jesus flogged. We had wanted to see this area the previous day, but our guide would not take us because it as in the Muslim Quarter.

From here we decided to explore the Muslim Quarter for a bit.

Which seemed pretty mellow and relaxed. We stopped for some tea at this shop.

And just hung out with the old timers outside and watched the world go by…..

We were starting to get a bit hungry so we headed back to the area around Machaneh Yehudah Market and found the recommended Sabich Shop. We walked in and the menu was in Hebrew. There were no customers when we arrived so I asked about the menu….the two young ladies working were not very nice; I was told; "you read the menu and order….it right there…" And she walked away. I did a Google translate thing, walked back to the counter and was ignored. Two customers walked in behind me and their order was taken. So, I figured that they really didn't want my business so we crossed the street and went into the Market and stopped at this stand.

The Young Man working the counter was a hoot….he loved flirting with all the girls walking by.

There was something on the menu She wanted to try……

The Shakshuka. This was quite good; great acidic-sweet tomato flavors…..like sunshine in the form of food. The eggs were lovely, the Missus just loved the seasoning. She even enjoyed the bread!

I was told; "you better up your Shakshuka game!"

Hmmm…..

Me, well I got the namesake item; the Jachnun.

Man, this was quite good as well. Loved the pastry used to wrap the simple fillings; egg and eggplant was particularly tasty.

This was a very nice lunch…I'm glad we came here; I guess it was fate, huh?

Jachnun Bar
(Machaneh Yehudah Market)

We strolled back to the apartment and packed, we had a morning flight back to Paris, so there would be no time to dilly-dally in the morning. After which we had a nice afternoon nap.

For our last meal, I chose a highly recommended and very popular restaurant near Machaneh Yehudah Market named Machneyuda. I kept reading about the place and when Yotam Ottolenghi mentioned the place in several articles online; well it just seemed like the right pick for us.

We had 645 reservations and arrived at a hair past 630. The place was already packed and we were seated upstairs where the music and the discussions weren't quite as loud.

The menu is a single sheet; but there's quite a bit to choose from. The direction of our ordering was based on our previous meals and we also selected dishes that caught our attention.

And as we often do; we made a meal out of several starters as those menu items seemed the most interesting.

The first two dishes were easy to pick. We had really enjoyed the vegetables in Israel, so we made sure to get a couple of veggie based items.

Starting with the Turkish Tomato Salad.

Man, the wonderful sweet-acidity of the tomatoes; just perfect.

The Cabbage Siniya was also very good.

The cabbage had been charred thus creating a nice smoky-sweetness and wonderful textural contrast. The nutty-earthy tones of the tahini gave the dish some heft and the chilies added a bit of zip.

Our least favorite item of the night was the Shaour Tartare.

The tartare was delivered covered by spinach leaves; which were browning and getting discolored. The fish itself was quite chewy and very mild in flavor which was just over-powered by the aioli, herbs, and spices.

Meanwhile, the Sweetbreads were so delici-yoso!!!

Firm at first bite, giving way to a wonderful creaminess; the tomato and radish paired quite well, smoothing out any strong metallic-offal flavors with the dill adding in a grassy, slightly anise touch to things. The flatbread was crisp and nicely charred.

Our last dish was the Crispy Brain with Eggplant.

As if things couldn't get better; the brain was nicely fried; the interior so crisp then creamy, the tender eggplant smoky, the bread added a brioche like sweetness.

Overall, this was a excellent dinner and a great way to end our stay in Jerusalem.

Machneyuda
Beit Ya'akov St. 10
Jerusalem, Israel

After this wonderful dinner, the Missus treated me to a nightcap, stopping at the Beer Bazaar location in Machaneh Yehudah Market.