American/New American Restaurants – Page 21

Revisits to Places I Never Posted On – The Butcher Shop

August 14, 2017 mmm-yoso American/New American Restaurants, Sandwiches

So, in need of a getaway from the craziness at work, I decided to take a trip back in time….to another place I hadn't been to in maybe 15 years.

Ah yes, The Butcher Shop……..

Once owned by the De Philippi family, it's a symbol of a nostalgic bygone era….

From the red faux leather booths to the dark wood paneling, and the photos on the wall…Frank here….Dean there……

I knew I wouldn't run into anyone from the office here.

I got the Prime Rib Sandwich….which was probably the last thing I got here way back when; though I don't think it was sixteen bucks then. But, everything costs more these days. My Server was a joy and I ordered my prime rib rare, which is how it arrived.

In a nicely toasted onion roll. The au jus just tasted mainly salty, so I let that be. The horse radish sauce was very pungent….it belonged on the sandwich, in a well measured dose. The meat was tender, but on the bland side.

As I opened up the roll to spread the horseradish on it. One side looked like it belonged on Instagram…Snapchat…or whatever the social media site du jour is these days….

While the other half of the sandwich didn't seem like it belonged on the same plate.

The fries were crisp; but everything, except the horse radish sauce seemed strangely bland.

Though there seemed to be quite a few eating on this day…..I did feel like I was the youngest person in the room. "Old School" isn't always a bad thing, but this tasted and felt dated. Though I'm sure many have great memories of this place.

The Butcher Shop
5255 Kearny Villa Rd
San Diego, CA 92123

D.Z.Akins- quick breakfast

August 11, 2017 Cathy American/New American Restaurants, Breakfast/Brunch, What Cathy Eats!

Thank you for stopping to read mmm-yoso!!!, a food blog. Cathy is writing a short post today; the guys are busy.

Located just East of San Diego State University since 1980, D.Z.Akins is a Restaurant, Delicatessen and Bakery which serves breakfast, lunch and dinner. I've written a total of two posts, along with a mention of a sandwich here, but had my first tastes of food from here when I worked nearby and have, indeed, tried most of the (very large) menu.

Earlier this week, the dreaded "Check Engine" light appeared on my dashboard and I dropped off my car before the Service Center opened. The Mister picked me Up (I was walking back home) and said that we should go out to breakfast. Since D.Z.Akins opens at 7 a.m., we were some of the first people in this normally crowded parking lot.
When you first walk in, there is the bakery and deli in front of you, a Gift Shop to the right and the Hostess Stand to the left. The walls are decorated with murals, cartoons, portraits, photos of prior (famous) patrons and all sorts of things that catch your eye.

After perusing the menu, The Mister decided on the Monday-Friday breakfast special ($4.99)
Two pancakes, two eggs, two sausage (or bacon). (Coffee is $3.50 and always kept filled). The eggs were perfectly over easy, the pancakes were not sweet and were quite fluffy and the sausage was really good- spicy, juicy, large. Since I was preparing myself to spend money on this day, I figured I would order what I wanted- the smoked whitefish platter ($16.95). Looks small, you say? Nope. There were at least 6 ounces of cream cheese in the middle/under the cucumber, carrots, onions and olives. The (very large) piece of smoked whitefish was just so perfect- smoky, salty, meaty, filling. It was exactly what I wanted that morning. I did ask for rye toast instead of a bagel and it was so very perfect of a rye…the kind I grew up eating from the corner Polish Bakery in Detroit.

I hope your weekend is good!

D.Z. Akins 6930 Alvarado Road San Diego, CA 92120 (619)265-0218 Open Sun-Thurs 7 a.m.-9 p.m., Fri-Sat 7 a.m.-10 p.m. Website

Soda & Swine (Liberty Station)

August 8, 2017 mmm-yoso American/New American Restaurants, Gastropub

**** Soda & Swine has closed

So, the Missus really wanted to try someplace different and She's been missing poutine since leaving Montreal/QC and as a plus, Soda & Swine specializes in meatballs, another favorite of the Missus. I'd been to Soda & Swine before; the Adam's Avenue location and thought it was pretty good. We didn't want to deal with the parking hassle, so we headed on down to Liberty Station.

Remember when this place was Roseville Cozinha? The Missus actually enjoyed the place during it's all too short run.

So now it's the second location of Soda & Swine, part of the Consortium Holdings kingdom.

I really liked the set-up; you can either order at the register right when ordering, or head to the bar for typical bar service. The area is nice a breezy, even on an especially warm day and we've always had good service here.

I started with a beer, but the Missus wanted a cocktail and ordered the "Oaxacan Old Fashioned". She loved the lingering smokey finish to this spin on the Old Fashioned.

I guess She's got a new favorite.

It was also Happy Hour and since we weren't too hungry, we decided to order the two dishes on the Happy Hour menu.

We ordered the Happy Hour specials; starting with the "Dirty Fries" ($5 – Half Order). S&S goes for a rustic approach to serving….it's either in little cast iron pans or metals trays here.

Basically nice and crisp fries, mushroom gravy, topped with a meatball of your choice (smoked pork), lardons, shaved parmesan, and some diced jalapeno peppers.

I gotta say, this wasn't bad at all, the fries were decent, the gravy added some creaminess, not to the level of, say a good poutine, but it wasn't bad. The meatball….well, the Missus does like Her meatballs, was smokey and tender, the shaved parmesan was barely discernable, the pork belly lardon….bacon if you will added a nice textural contrast to things, with the peppers adding a tiny bit of heat. We felt the aioli's weren't really necessary as they tended to detract from the fried loveliness of the dish. Not quite poutine, but it'll do for now.

The Fried Chickpeas ($1) were a nice distraction, slightly crunchy at first bite, then mildly creamy. A decent bar snack.

We weren't very hungry, so this was enough for us on this visit.

Since then we've returned a couple of times and have tried some items on the menu. Here's how they rank.

It's still the Dirty Fries that the Missus enjoys most. We now just get a full order ($9.49) which is enough for an entire meal for the both of us with leftovers. The best combination of meatballs is chorizo and smoked pork.

On occasion we've had a batch that was too salty. And while it won't make the Missus forget about poutine and I'm sure She'll tire of these, we're riding out the craving.

Tied for next is the Skillet of Three Meatballs ($8.29) tied with the Scotch Egg ($4.13).

Feet to the fire; I think the Missus prefers the Scotch Egg….because if there's anything the Missus enjoys more than meatballs, it's a soft boiled egg. The yolks on these at nice and soft, perhaps a tad past where the Missus likes them, but it's wrapped in a layer of chorizo before the nicely seasoned breadcrumbs.

The first time had the meatballs we had sauce and cheese on it which was just too much stuff and took away from the flavor of the meatballs. I'd say, if you're just going with the beef version, which is on the dry and tough side have at it. On our next visit, we decided to have the sauce on the side and stuck with marinara. To me, it's still the smoked pork meatball that's the best; relatively moist, not too salty, mild smoked flavor.

We didn't enjoy the two vegetable dishes we've tried here.

The Broccolini ($4.19) was overcooked and under seasoned, very bland as a whole. I tasted little or no garlic and for some reason it seems the parmesan they use here is very bland.

The Brussel Sprouts ($4.29) were a bit too charred and hard, while the interiors were mushy.

They really didn't use enough fish sauce to provide enough salty-savory tones for us….the best part were the lardons of pork belly.

So, I guess until the Missus needs a break from the fries here, we'll stick with those.

And a couple of Old Fashions…..

Soda & Swine
2750 Dewey Rd. Suite 104
San Diego, CA 92106
Hours:
Sun – Thurs 11am – 10pm
Sat – Sun 11am – MN
Happy Hour:
Mon – Fri 3pm – 6pm

Blaze Pizza (Fast Fire’d, customizable)

August 7, 2017 Cathy American/New American Restaurants, Pizza, Salads, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso!!! is the food blog you are reading on this not too humid day. Kirk is busy (with work), Ed(from Yuma) is also busy (even though he is retired) and Cathy (who appears to Have time) is writing this post.

Driving around while getting hungry, The Mister and I were near Native Foods and noticed yet another customizable pizza location (sad that my favorite had closed). We decided to try Blaze.

Ignoring the fact that "fire'd" is not a word, the idea of being able to watch your pizza being constructed, see it being placed in the fiery oven and having it ready by the time you find a place to sit is fascinating; fast food that isn't all fried or particularly heavy.

Even better, the selections here are a bit different. For one, there are four types of pre-made salads to choose from (although you can make a personalized/'Build Your Own' salad from all of the pizza toppings).

There are a variety of sauces and cheeses to use as a base and the amount of ingredients available is excellent; even if you 'Build your own' pizza, using a lot of toppings, the cost is $8.25 (there is only an extra charge if you want a thicker crust or a gluten free crust).
The system here is a bit more organized; when you order, your name and a number that is embossed on a metal tent-shaped piece are coordinated, so that the pizza in the oven doesn't get lost/given to someone else. {Let's just say I have received free pie coupons more than once because another customizable pizza place has given my order to an unsuspecting pick up. It is so easily preventable.}

As I was staring at the menu, "Salad Pizza" ($8.25) had me curious. It's a baked (fast fire'd) pizza dough, topped with pesto sauce and the cooked bread is topped with your choice of any of the four salads available that day. In this case, I chose the tomato and mozzarella salad. Gosh, this was perfect- salad, bread with the garlic-y pesto…a meal. Since it was our first time here, a "Simple Pie" ($5.75) was ordered. Mild tomato sauce and mozzarella cheese-simple. This was pretty much perfect; it reminded my of pizza we got in Naples, Italy, decades ago. On a return visit, the Salad pizza topped with an arugula salad that had fresh blackberries was available. Again, a great meal. There is a "2 Top" pizza available ($7.50) and since I did want to try the sausage here, a sausage and mushroom pie was ordered. This was, also, perfect. So pleasant and cheesy, plus those fresh mushrooms- wow. Being a creature of habit- another tomato mozzarella salad topped pie was ordered. This time I did remember to take a photo of the thin crust with just the basil topping showing. Most recently, a "Build Your Own" salad, using the base of the Caesar salad and adding bacon, chicken and a selection of vegetables ($8.25) proved to be so large that it wasn't finished in one sitting. A good and healthy choice.

Everything is fresh and good here.

Blaze Pizza, multiple locations across the USA, Website

Wine tasting in Southern Oregon

August 3, 2017 ed fromyuma American/New American Restaurants, Sandwiches, What Ed Eats -You too can be like Ed!

mmm-yoso!!! is Kirk’s fascinating food and travel blog out of San Diego. Sometimes he lets Cathy or me, Ed (from Yuma), blog here too. Thanks!!!

I wish I could share with folks the great natural beauty and wonderful hospitality Tina and I experienced in Central Oregon. But I am uncomfortable writing about wonderful meals prepared by friends and family, and Tina and I both failed to take photos of the Cascade peaks and rugged scenery we witnessed our way down to Jackson County in Southern Oregon.

We arrived on a scorching (108°+) afternoon in the Rogue Valley too early for our motel room, so we sought the house where I grew up and the nearby house of my grandparents. Pulling into the driveway there, we were greeted by the current owner, who was happy to learn about the history of the house and happy to share some details about living in Medford these days. After he learned that we were interested in wine tasting, he insisted that we drive a short way to 2Hawk winery, nearby on N. Phoenix Rd.

Located about 2 ½ miles from where I grew up, the brand-new winery was built with old wood:

Amazing to see vineyards where there were once empty fields or cow pastures at the edge of town:

The tasting room was modern and attractive, the servers were very friendly and helpful, and some of the folks at the winery seemed like locals who drop by in the afternoons:

2Hawk offered a couple of different tasting flights, but their lineup was limited but good:

In fact, limited supply seems to be plaguing many of the new Southern Oregon wineries. One place we stopped was out of wine to sell, and when I came back two days later to 2Hawk to pick up a bottle of their excellent reserve Tempranillo, which they had kindly let me sample, they had none.

2335 N. Phoenix Road | Medford, OR 97504
541.779.WINE (9463)

http://www.2hawk.wine/

The Rogue Valley with nearly 30 wineries is the center of the Southern Oregon Vineyard industry but I wanted to take Tina over to the Applegate Valley, just to the west, because it is much more rural, very beautiful, and offers some distinctive wines.

But folks gotta eat; so we stopped in at the C St. Bistro in Jacksonville. Jacksonville, now is a very small town, has a historic district that goes back to the 1850s, when Jackson County was founded. It’s in a nice location up off the Valley floor some, but it would’ve been inconvenient for the railroads, so they went down to the heart of the Valley and created Medford.

The C St. Bistro is a small home style lunch and dinner spot in Jacksonville:

http://www.cstbistro.com/

It has a pleasant patio though it was getting awfully hot by the end of lunch:

I had a nice fresh lemonade that I failed to photograph. I opted for the turkey BLT, made with toasted homemade focaccia:

Real roasted turkey – an abundant portion – was the highlight of the sandwich. Being lactose intolerant, I ordered the tomato soup with no sour cream. It was full of red ripe tomato flavors, but the acidity might have been better balanced with the sour cream as Tina’s was:

But the real highlight of her lunch was the magnificent wild mushroom and melted cheese cibatta:

Here’s a detailed photo:

The bill was reasonable:

We headed out of town on the Jacksonville/Ruch highway, which crosses a low spur of the mighty Siskiyou mountains and descends into the beautiful Applegate Valley:

We stopped at only two wineries; the Schmidt family winery (the funnest in the Applegate Valley) seems to have a party going on constantly:

330 Kubli Road Grants Pass, OR 97527

541-846-9985

https://sfvineyards.com/

I’m sure the wines were very good, we enjoyed the tasting for sure, but the emphasis at the winery seem to be on the beautiful grounds and picnic areas:

Our last stop in the Applegate Valley was at Cowhorn vineyards a few miles south off the main road at the edge of the forest and the Valley, one of the most innovative and progressive vineyards in the Southern Oregon wine region:

The entire winery has no carbon footprint. All employees have 52-week a year employment and healthcare. Though the winery is very new, some of their best wines Syrah, Grenache, and Tempranillo are some of the most sought after and expensive in the Valley and (in my humble opinion) some of the best tasting.

The vineyards are spread out from the winery:

1665 Eastside Road
Jacksonville, OR 97530
(541) 899-6876

http://cowhornwine.com/

Tina and I thoroughly enjoyed the wine tasting and scenery. What makes Southern Oregon wineries unique is a variety of microclimates, most cooler than many regions in California, all more elevated than most other regions in Oregon or in California, and producing varietals not usually well represented in West Coast wineries such as Tempranillo, Grenache, Viogner, Roussanne.

If you’re in the area, you should definitely stop in and check out the one top 10 Vineyard area in the United States that you had probably never heard of before.

2018 Tournament of Roses Rose Parade float road test, Breakfast at Penny’s Family Restaurant (West Covina), Snack at Kolache Factory (Tustin)

August 1, 2017 Cathy American/New American Restaurants, Breakfast/Brunch, Festivals & Events, Los Angeles County, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso!!! a blog about food, and events leading up to acquiring said food. Cathy is writing today; Kirk and Ed(from Yuma) are staying away from warm things (like computers and the outdoors).

Yes, it is that time of year again. Posts about Rose parade float road tests, float decorating and the Showcase of floats will be on the blog about once a month until January of next year. The related food/meal posts, will be changing quite a bit. The Phoenix Decorating Company, which constructs the floats where The Mister and I volunteer to decorate in December, has moved its barn about 20 miles East of Pasadena, to Irwindale. The drive there from here is a bit quicker, but we still left at 5 on Saturday morning, to see the floats lined up at 7 for their mechanical and maneuverability testing.

The Theme of the 2018 Rose Parade is "Making A Difference" and each float entry has its own interpretation of those words. Here are some previews of floats that were tested. We will get to the food in a moment.

The Shriners Hospitals for Children 2018 Parade float, "Caring for Kids Around the World", depicts their mascot, Fezzy Bear, in a space suit surrounded by planets and satellites.

Kiwanis International has a tiger driving a race car on its "Racing to Serve Children" titled float.

"Planting the Seeds of Service" is the theme of the Rotary International 2018 Rose Parade float entry.

The Odd Fellows and Rebekahs float, "Sacrifice To Serve" has another patriotic float entered in the Rose Parade, the title is in line with the 'Making a Difference' Theme. Western Asset is going to have at least a whale and turtle on their 2018 float entry.
The Lutheran Hour Ministries 68th entry into the parade is titled "Bringing Christ to the Nations".

There were two other floats (Armenian and Lions) which were in the 'rebar' stage of assembly which were also tested that morning.

Phoenix Decorating Company 5400 Irwindale Avenue Irwindale, CA 91706

Now, on to the food section of this post.

The first stop of the day (at about 6:05 a.m.) was at the Red Hill exit, to get to the Kolache Factory, mentioned in this post
We enjoyed the ham, egg and cheese stuffed dough ($3.19) and the simple, wonderful bacon and cheese stuffed treat ($2.26). The modern version of an Eastern European pastry roll was enough to keep us satisfied before arriving in Irwindale.

Kolache Factory 14091 Newport Avenue Tustin, CA 92780 (714) 730-2253 Website

When we left Irwindale, we took side roads South, looking for a place to get breakfast and also scoping out possibilities for dinner after we decorate floats in December… We saw a variety of Mexican restaurants and taco shops, several 'Diner Type' places and then somehow got to this "HK2" mall. Kirk wrote about visits there 12 years ago. (Krua Thai is still there).

Because we were here before 9 a.m., only workers were showing up for early morning openings of the shops (I counted at least 20 restaurants, of so many ethnic varieties-Vietnamese, Thai, Chinese, Korean, Taiwanese, Japanese, Mexican and…the only one that was open when we were there- the American place, Penny's.

Signage, Specials, Services offered, Penny's has it all, especially good food.

The weekday breakfast specials are 40¢ more on weekends. I went with a "Mini Breakfast" ($6.95 plus 40¢), two eggs (over easy-perfectly cooked) 2 sausage (or bacon) and home fries (also rye toast). This was great, really good; I love those sliced fried potatoes. The sausage was a good quality.
The Mister chose the corned beef hash and eggs plate ($8.59). Very flavorful corned beef, with diced potato and crispy grill top fried. Those perfect over easy eggs and more of those delightful home fries.
He chose a biscuit and gravy as the side. Great gravy, a really nice baking powder biscuit.
Now that we (sort of) know this mall is here, we will be back a bit later in the morning to try some of the other restaurants when they are open.

Penny's Family Restaurant 969 S. Glendora Avenue West Covina, CA 91790 Open 7-2, daily

I hope your week is good so far!

It’s been a while week-Sima’s Grill and Deli

June 30, 2017 Cathy American/New American Restaurants, Greek Food, Salads, Sandwiches, What Cathy Eats!

Here you are, on a lovely Friday 'cool down' day, reading this food blog, mmm-yoso!!! Kirk and Ed(from Yuma) are preparing to enjoy the Holiday weekend and Cathy is writing.

The last time I posted about Sima's was in 2013. The Mister and I haven't driven on Miramar Road unless avoiding traffic. There has been a three week period in the last month when we had to be at daily appointments West of here and taking various routes to get lunch on the way home became a priority. When Kirk mentioned he was writing 'It's Been a While Week', I knew what my contribution would be.

This unassuming end building in a mall anchored by a McDonald's, across from Miramar Marine Corps Air Station has been here since 1984, providing breakfast and lunch six days a week. Run by a husband, wife and their daughter, it's another 'local' place that has withstood the test of time.

The interior has remained the same, the menu has also, although there have, of course, been price increases.
The gyros salad ($9.95) is served with warm, fluffy pita bread with house made tzatziki. The wonderful house made, herby salad dressing is so fresh and perfect with the crispy fresh Romaine, cucumber, tomato, onion and olives. The grilled gyros is just crisped on the edges and there is plenty of it on this salad.

The hot pastrami sandwich ($8.75) is toasted and served with plenty of grilled, smoky, peppery, flavorful (it is Boars Head brand) meat topped with Swiss. The fries are quite good. The char-grilled cheeseburger is still my favorite (window special #1- $9.95, 1/2 lb, includes fries and a drink) burger. It is made from fresh (not frozen) Angus Pride beef and…well..that char grilling is what makes it for me. I was alone one day and decided to stop in again, opting for a cold/deli sandwich (roast beef) ($7.95) on an onion roll (light toasted). It's served simply, with lettuce, tomato, a smear of mustard and of mayonnaise…and plenty of the Boars Head roast beef as well as a very good dill pickle. Just right on a hot day.

Have a great Independence Day weekend!

Sima's Grill & Deli 7160 Miramar Road San Diego 92121 (858) 578-2582 M-F 7:30-4:30, Sat 10-4 Closed Sunday

It’s been a while week – Nate’s Garden Grill

June 28, 2017 mmm-yoso American/New American Restaurants, Breakfast/Brunch

I had been wondering about how Nate's was doing for a while. I thought it would make a nice little IBAW post, so dropped by this past weekend.

I'd been trying to talk the Missus into revisiting; but in typical fashion She just wasn't motivated after tasting the results of….ahem, playing with my butt.

Still, I'd always rather enjoyed the vibe at Nate's.

The rustic interior, the really friendly folks who work here.

I'm thinking it being 8am on the weekend, it was much too early for the Hipster crowd….just a couple of families enjoying the wild west of South City Heights.

My food took a while; which I actually enjoyed. It made me relax and notice the "small things"…..

Like….did they always have air conditioning here? Well, it was welcomed because it was getting warm outside.

I had decided on getting the Pulled Pork Hash, which I really enjoyed during my previous visit. It was such a nice and vibrant dish back then.

Sadly, this wasn't quite as good as that.

While I thought the sourdough bread was nicely crisp and toasted; the eggs, well one of them was nice and runny…the other had leaked out, I really missed all the wonderful textures and flavors from the variety of vegetables I'd had before. This had a ton of pork; of which the smoke flavor was rather over-powering and was a tad too salty. What potatoes there were hadn't been browned very well and while this might be a pork-aholic's choice, I missed the balance in what I'd had before.

And yes, it was still way to much food. I did take almost two-thirds of this home and actually redid it with some proper vegetables…..topped with some Greek yogurt to cut the salt and ate the left-overs for two more meals. There's no arguing about portion size here.

I do like Nate's and will probably return….the folks here are so nice…..though I'm not sure what I'll order next time.

Over the years, I've recommended Nate's to several folks I know. One couple really didn't care for the place. I should have known based on where they lived; they didn't like ordering at the counter, wanted better table service, and gave me a lot of grief about looking out at stuff like this while eating.

Sigh……

Nate's Garden Grill
3120 Euclid Ave
San Diego, CA 92105

Dunkin’ Donuts- sandwiches and donuts

May 11, 2017 Cathy American/New American Restaurants, Breakfast/Brunch, Caffeine Fix, Desserts, Sandwiches, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso!!! is a food blog. Today, Cathy is writing; Kirk is busy (again) at work and Ed (from Yuma) is enjoying a beautiful spring day (in Yuma).

Its been a busy year so far. Since I tend to not plan ahead much, finding meals is an adventure and quite interesting. When leaving a quick breakfast stop at Winchell's in National City last month, I passed Dunkin' Donuts, two blocks West. Dunkin' began in 1950 in Quincy, Massachusetts and I remember a few locations in the Detroit area when growing up. Nothing stood out in those memories, though.

A mental note was made, research occurred, this location (2139 East Plaza Blvd, National City 91950) is open 24 hours and I had no excuse to not drop in.

Once I noticed one of the many door signs, indicating that "Dunkin' Donuts of San Diego are proudly owned and operated by local disabled military veterans", I felt good that the 'chain' concept was still local. As an aside, the location in Ramona (1410 Main Street, Ramona 92065, phone (760)789-0210, open daily 5 a.m.-10p.m.) is a combined Dunkin'/Baskin Robbins store. Anytime you stop in, a craving can be fulfilled.

So, there's a nice menu board with the third section a good choice of various sandwiches- the breads are Texas toast, croissant, flatbread and ciabatta.
The donut selection comes into full view once you get to the front of the line to order. There's quite a bit of seating in both of the locations I've been to.

The coffee here is very good. I've seen the ads, heard the raves, read about cravings for their coffee, but now know this for myself. For this visit, two basics. The "Big n' Toasted" ($4.29) Two eggs, bacon and cheese on Texas Toast. Wow. Unexpectedly overfilled with bacon, very good. Only ordering a simple grilled cheese ($1.99) and seeing there were two types of cheese on it (Swiss and a mild Cheddar), I 'borrowed' one of the eggs and made that grilled cheese sandwich special. It was really tasty. A side of hash browns (99¢) was a great choice (there were six in the bag; very flavorful with parsley mixed in the potato).
The ham, egg and cheese english muffin ($4.09) was another unexpectedly great choice. The ham, as you can see, is a better quality with thick slices and the sandwich was quite filling. Then there was this. It's right in the center of that third menu board. The 'Pretzel Croissant Breakfast Sandwich' ($3.79). The first two times I was here, the pretzel croissants were sold out. My lucky day, my wonderful breakfast. Crispy exterior; pretzel- topped with large grains of salt- fluffy flaky interior of an excellent croissant, filled with bacon, egg and Swiss. Oh wow, now I have another craving.

The donut choices, overwhelming and although fresh, not overly interesting. Chocolate Butternut and a French Cruller; both pretty basic. Good cake donut topped with 'butternut morsels'-not peanuts- and fresh cruller with egginess of the pastry. Small, just enough to go with coffee. There was a whiteboard of specials inside the Ramona location and a 'peanut butter delight croissant donut' ($2.49) sounded good and tasted better. The peanut butter was mixed with the regular Bavarian Cream filling (so not too sweet) and injected into the 'croissant donut'…which is a delightful conveyor of a crispy, light dessert.

So glad I rediscovered this childhood favorite.

Dunkin' Donuts, multiple locations nationwide Website

Buck & Rider – Seafood Dining in Phoenix

April 19, 2017 ed fromyuma American/New American Restaurants, Phoenix/Scottsdale/Chandler/Central AZ, Seafood, What Ed Eats -You too can be like Ed!

Ed (from Yuma) finally has the functional tools and the time he needs to write a post for the blog. Kirk and Cathy get a break today.

Not long before my computer became nonfunctional, Tina and I were in the Phoenix area to get together with her brother and wife and catch a spring training game. But we also wanted to have another lunch at Buck & Rider since our last meal there had been pretty good, and their menu contained a lot of dishes that we wanted to try. We arrived soon after they opened:

Since we were heading home after lunch, we decided to avoid drowsy driving and stick to sparkling water, refreshing on that hot day:

The choices of oysters were impressive considering Phoenix is in the middle of the desert:

We could watch the shucker (or is it shuckster?) at work:

We could even look at the oysters in their shells and inspect their documentation (papers please):

We ordered two High Rollers from Washington (Hood Canal) on the right of the picture, and two Madhouse from the Maryland Chesapeake:

They were served with lemon wedges and our choice of condiments; we picked cocktail sauce, which was spicy and tangy (but which I didn't use) and horseradish, which was pungent and freshly ground. With the horseradish, the taste of the bivalve was emphasized.

A close-up of a High Roller:

And a Madhouse:

While both were certified extra small, both were extra tasty, especially the one from the Hood Canal. Outstanding.

Tina's tuna burger, the next item to arrive at the table, fell short of outstanding:

The slaw was probably very healthy and certainly very bland. The bun was homemade and nicely grilled. The burger itself was large, filled with ground ahi, breaded and fried. The avocado portion was generous, but the sandwich never came together to my taste. The teriyaki like sauce on the burger and the chipotle mayo spread on the bun seemed an odd combination. And the fried exterior seemed an odd complement to the raw interior:

Likewise, the fries were just okay:

The portion was generous and the potatoes tasted fresh, but they lacked crispness and maybe had sat under a heat lamp for a little too long.

So I felt like I'd hit the jackpot by ordering the Port St. Lucie French Seabass sandwich:

Except for the slaw, this was excellent. The fish tasted fresh and flavorful. The roll, the breaded filet, the tomato, and the tartar sauce along with generous dill pickle made a flavorful combination.

Here's the check:

Was it worth it? Heck yes. The oysters (even though pretty spendy) and the seabass sandwich were outstanding. The tuna burger and the fries were okay; only the slaw was truly disappointing. We'd come back again.

Buck & Rider, 4225 East Camelback Rd., Phoenix, AZ 85018, (602) 346-0110. website