American/New American Restaurants – Page 26

Harbor Town Pub – Brunch (Point Loma)

November 3, 2015 Cathy American/New American Restaurants, Breakfast/Brunch, Pubs and Pub Grub, What Cathy Eats!

Thanks for stopping to look at mmm-yoso!!! a food blog of San Diego and other places. Cathy is writing today; Kirk and Ed(from Yuma) are just too busy.

One of those mornings when it was hot and humid before 9 a.m. and The Mister and I thought going closer to the water would be a good idea. The drive West was nice and it seemed cooler on Point Loma. The rather ubiquitous frontage of Harbor Town Pub (located on Rosecrans, about two blocks from the Harbor and from the entrance to Shelter Island) makes it easily overlooked, but being open daily at 8 a.m., it's an easy breakfast stop, especially for locals. The menu remains the same on weekends, so basically Brunch is available daily.After downloading my photos, I realized that somehow the camera phone was set on a sepia toned filter. I apologize for the 'artsy' look.Harbor Town is located in the Portuguese neighborhood of San Diego and so linguisa is on the menu. I chose a Linguisa Scramble ($10.95) for my meal. Eggs, tomato, green onion, cilantro, Cotija cheese and a chipotle cream were all mixed with a good amount of the smoked, garlicy Portuguese sausage. A topping of crispy tortilla strips was the perfect texture that this hearty (and large portioned) dish needed.The Mister has been trying variations of chicken and waffles ever since encountering 'the original version' a couple of years ago. The version here ($11.95) fit the bill; large portions of boneless, skinless white meat chicken is dipped in waffle batter and then fried. Served with a biscuit, eggs and home fries, this hearty meal was really good.

There are several other scrambles, a banana bread french toast as well as a high end country fried steak also available for breakfast…great quality and a non-touristy vibe.

Harbor Town Pub 1125 Rosecrans Street San Diego 92107 (619) 2241321 Open daily 8 a.m.-1 a.m. Website

2016 Tournament of Roses Rose Parade Float Road Test #6, breakfast at Sandwiches by Connal

October 29, 2015 Cathy American/New American Restaurants, Breakfast/Brunch, Festivals & Events, Los Angeles County, Sandwiches, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso!!! is a food blog. There are always reasons about how we (Kirk, Ed (from Yuma) and Cathy) get around to the food. Today, Cathy is writing about one of her monthly road trips to Pasadena.

Late October and yet floats are being constructed and necessarily being tested for safety and maneuverability prior to their participation in the 127th Tournament of Roses Rose Parade, which will occur on January 1, 2016. The Theme of the parade this year is "Find Your Adventure" and will be held in conjunction with the National Park Service, which will be celebrating its 100th year since being entrusted with the care of over 400 locations of the National Parks of the United States.

The day starts early for road tests. We have to be on the road by 5 a.m., to be at the Phoenix Decorating Company barn by 7 a.m.. There is another company which constructs floats along with six floats which are self made and all have different road testing days. Since The Mister and I have decorated floats with the Petal Pushers, who assist with many of the floats made by Phoenix Decorating since before I began writing on this blog, we usually only drive up to see the Phoenix floats being road tested. The American Armenian Rose Float Association will have its second float, "Discover Armenia" in the parade in January, and it is again very detailed, showing 17 different Armenian architectural symbols.Back in August, this very long float was road tested. (You can see the Driver to the right in a red shirt and the Spotter of the float to the left, with the yellow chair).Knowing that base showed nothing of the float design, I waited for more details of this steampunk design titled "Fearless Flyer". Once the colors are marked for the live and dry materials, this Trader Joe's float will really take shape. It collapses down on that accordion pleated central area…and yes, there will be steam coming from various parts of the float as it drives down Colorado Boulevard. This will be one of the more magnificent floats in the parade.The Destination Irvine float, "Innovation Rocks" has been outlined and colored and now looks like the artist rendition. It is ready for decoration, which will begin on December 5.

You can see the artist renditions of all the floats I've shown you so far this year at this link.Peeking into the barn before leaving, we saw this small boat with an outboard motor…and I know Honda (the parade sponsor) makes outboard motors…so I'm thinking this is part of the first float you'll see as the parade starts. {I was wrong: the above outboard motor is part of the Farmers Insurance "Along for the Ride" float. Additional artist renditions of the floats were added to the above link after this post was published.}

We were off to breakfast and decided to stop at Sandwiches by Connal, which has been in Pasadena since 1958 (and which I wrote about last year, after another road test).Not much has changed since September 2014. The prices are for 'to go' items and it costs a bit less because we eat in. We've been here more than once, so here's a compendium of breakfast items. The bacon breakfast burrito ($4.99) is made with three eggs and hash browns and bacon. The sausage croissant ($3.99) is similarly prepared. As always: hearty, fresh and excellent. The bacon breakfast sandwich (on wheat) ($4.59) is made with folded (not shredded) lettuce leaves, tomato, egg and bacon. Always a favorite. The chorizo burrito ($5.29) weighs more than a pound (because, again, three eggs and hash browns as well as a lot of chorizo) and comes with red or green sauce added for you.The Ribeye steak and eggs ($7.99). Three eggs, hash browns, toast and a good size piece of tender meat…a nice way to begin the rest of the day.

I hope your week is going well!

Sandwiches by Connal 1505 East Washington Pasadena, CA 91104 (626)794-5018 Website (the menu website links have old prices, the wall prices in the photo above are 'to go' prices, it's about 50¢ less per item when you eat in).

Petaluma: Central Market

October 16, 2015 mmm-yoso American/New American Restaurants, Marin, Napa, and Sonoma Counties, Travel

After lunch in Sonoma we drove over to Petaluma and the apartment we'd be staying in. So glad it had A/C as it was pretty hot out.

We loved the location, about a mile and a half from downtown Petaluma, we would get some exercise walking to and from dinner. A big plus were the lovely Victorian homes that lined the streets on our walk to and from dinner.

Even those homes that were sort of ranch or adobe style had their own unique touches……I loved this front yard.

We really enjoyed walking down "D" and "B" streets.

Petaluma's historic downtown is quite charming. The city was once called the "Egg Capitol of the World" and this is where Lyman Byce perfected the Egg Incubator. It was also the agricultural crossroads for Marin and Sonoma counties. The downtown area still has a stately, but also a "cow town/agricultural" kind of feel. And it's home to two other important "names"; Mesa Boogie and Leo Laporte.

When deciding on dinner; the name "Central Market" kept coming up. Even by Leo Laporte! After reading about the "farm to table", made from scratch philosophy, this seemed like a perfect fit for dinner in what was once the agricultural center of the area.

Loved the space with its high ceilings. The place was fairly empty when we arrived but filled up quickly. Our Server, Ashley was the perfect balance between polished, professional, and friendly. The feel was up-market, yet

casual, with folks in everything from jackets to shorts and sandals. I believe they call their style "Cali-terranean" or something like that.

Now call me a terrible Food Blogger for not photographing the wine….we had the Sauvignon Blanc from Six Sigma Vineyards with our starters and salads and the Cuvee, and really nice red blend with our main.

And then there were the Pork Cracklins ($6.50).

Very light and crisp, not overly salted, with enough paprika to give it a wonderful smokiness.

We liked the Fresh Burrata with Beefsteak Tomatoes with Capers and Anchovy Dressing ($12.50)

As one would expect, the tomatoes were quite meaty, but we'd probably have enjoyed them having a bit more flavor and acid. The combination of Burrata Cheese, the deeply savory anchovy, added with restraint, and the peppery and grassy olive oil was quite a hit.

The Farm Chicory Salad ($11) was nice.

While it was bit too "lukewarm" for our tastes; the fennel and the olives, lifted this from being just another ho-hum salad.

The Missus loves Her Beets, so the Red Beets – Cherry Tomato – Cucumber Salad ($9.50) was a must have.

This was a well put together dish, the cucumbers and arugula made it for me. I thought the pesto clashed with the Greek yogurt dressing, but there were no complaints from the Missus.

Without a doubt; the best single dish we had on this trip was the special for the day; the Pork Confit.

The pork was just simple perfection, crisp on the exterior, moist and just firm enough, not falling to pieces interior. It was also so very "porcine" in flavor and went really well with the refried beans, in lieu of the what would normally probably be mashed potatoes, was a very pleasant surprise as I'd never have thought of that combination. Which tasted really great with the pork. The demi-glace was also very good, not overly salty. The Missus was smitten with how light and crunchy those onion rings were.

Dessert? Well, the Missus has a new favorite, as She loved the Affogato.

Call it fire and ice; espresso poured over ice cream. The Missus just loved this, the best of both worlds as it were.

Me, I was still feeling the heat and wanted some liquid refreshment for the walk back to our apartment. I decided to get something light and refreshing and the Scrimshaw Pilsner from North Coast Brewing Company (Ft Bragg) filled the bill.

We really enjoyed our meal at Central Market. All the dishes were at the least "solid", prepared well, and the service was the best we had on our trip. The space is very warm and welcoming and we'd gladly eat here again. And that pork was just amazingly perfect.

Plus, I loved this sign above the men's urinals…..

Central Market
42 Petaluma Blvd N
Petaluma, CA 94952

We were really enjoying the vibe here……

We walked back to the apartment and headed off to bed. Tomorrow was going to be a fairly long day….lots to do. There was that Cheese Trail thing after all…..

Thanks for reading!

Sonoma: OSO Restaurant, Wine Country Chocolates, and Vella Cheese Company

October 15, 2015 mmm-yoso American/New American Restaurants, Cheese, Chocolate, Marin, Napa, and Sonoma Counties, Travel

I thought it quite a coincidence, Ed from Yuma told me he and Tina had just returned from Sonoma and had a post ready. I mentioned that we headed in that direction in just a couple weeks. Ed and Tina both enjoy nice wines, so a trip to Sonoma made perfect sense. So what were we after? Well, cheese of course! We'd been enjoying various Northern California Cheeses for a while and while doing a bit of research, I came across the Sonoma Cheese Trail and soon enough I was looking for flights and accommodations. In the end, we flew Virgin America, and really enjoyed the service….and ended up staying at an AirBnB in Petaluma. The drive up from SFO was nice, the Missus always gets a kick driving on the Golden Gate Bridge. Since we couldn't check in until later in the day, we headed straight away to Sonoma……man, it was pretty darn hot when we arrived.

Things went off the rails a bit when we found that the place we had planned on having lunch at; the Epicurean Connection had closed and we had to find a Plan B. Which turned out to be right on Sonoma Square named OSO. The name hit home since "Oso" in Spanish means "bear" and for some reason this brought me back to our recent trip to Madrid and El Oso y el Madroño, The Bear and the Strawberry Tree, Madrid's Coat of Arms.

The place had a very relaxed vibe, our Server, who asked us to forgive any small errors because she was in training was perfect. The menu featured some small plates, salads, a burger, salmon, and the like.

The Missus enjoyed Her Cucumber Gimlet, which was very clean tasting and refreshing. I had a Orange Mule, the ginger beer did the same for me.

We started with the Little Gem Salad ($8).

Simply dressed, very petite, the Missus loved the beets. I thought the pistachios were a nice touch.

Without a doubt, the best item we had were the Deviled Eggs ($10).

The filling was perfect, light, with just the right amount of curry to enhance and lift the flavor of the yolks. The paprika added a touch of smokiness….and the crown jewel was the sweet crab that topped the eggs. The Missus loves Her eggs….and She really enjoyed this.

The Mole Braised Pork Shoulder Tacos ($14), left something to be desired.

The mole negro was very bland and mild, something that a mole should not be. The pork was dry and the centers cold. The tortillas rapidly fell apart.

Overall, a decent start to our couple of days in the area. We enjoyed the vibe, casual, relaxed, and the friendly service.

OSO Sonoma
9 E Napa St
Sonoma, CA 95476

Our next stop was right up the street. Tucked into a small shopping arcade. Blink and you might miss the sign.

Belgium really made the Missus into a chocolate lover, so this was a nice stop for us.

The place was doing some great business.

The Missus had a few tastes and made Her selections. I saw Her having one the other day and She told me they are quite enjoyable. I believe the chocolates are actually made in Glen Ellen.

Wine Country Chocolates
414 1st St E
Sonoma, CA 95476

We headed away from Sonoma Plaza, a few blocks North and found the actual reason we decided to stop in Sonoma; Vella Cheese Company.

Located in the old Sonoma Brewing Company Building which was built in 1904. When prohibition hit, Gaetano Vella took over the building to make cheese in 1931.

Vella Cheese is known for their "dry jack" a Monterey Jack styled cheese that is aged for 7-10 months. We ended up having a nice round of tastings and decided that it was the Mezzo Secco that we enjoyed the best.

"Mezzo Secco" means "half dry" and this version of Jack cheese is aged from 4-7 months. It's nicely neutral with nicely balanced nutty-grassy-milky flavors. It tastes great solo. It's also fairly hardy and would make the trip back to San Diego with no problem.

Vella Cheese Company
315 2nd St E
Sonoma, CA 95476

On the way back to the car we ran into this rather friendly guy….

In spite of the little "hiccup" at the beginning; things were turning out well. We were happy to get back to the car though…..the temp in the car read 97 and we were happy for some AC. Next up…we were off to Petaluma.

Thanks for reading!

Original Pancake House (revisit)

October 9, 2015 Cathy American/New American Restaurants, Breakfast/Brunch, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso!!! is a blog about food. Cathy is writing today's post, because Kirk can't and Ed (from Yuma) doesn't feel like writing.

I first wrote about the Original Pancake House in 2009 and again in 2013. The Mister and I tend to stop here for breakfast on special occasions. This time, it was The Mister's birthday choice. The below photo is of the parking lot when we were leaving at 8:10 in the morning on a Sunday; OPH gets crowded early.OPH is a nationwide chain, with four locations in San Diego County. The food is consistent and high quality. The menu is lengthy.That morning, I was not in a mood for anything sweet, so I chose the chicken crepe ($10.25) One large, eggy crepe topped with chunks of white meat chicken, sliced olives, green chili, red pimento and a simple gravy. This was very good for breakfast. I had a choice of sides and chose the potato pancakes (because they are wonderful),which were served with sour cream and applesauce. The Mister's condiments were warm maple syrup and a pitcher of warm blueberries cooked in a sauce…which He proceeded to pour over His Blueberry waffle ($8.75) which had a lot of fresh blueberries baked into the batter (I took photos of the bottom and a cross section, but both were blurred). The batter for the pancakes as well as the waffles is a special blend. Each is unique and sweet in its own way.

We enjoyed this start to the day. Stay cool this weekend!

Original Pancake House 3906 Convoy San Diego 92111 858-565-1740 Website open daily 7 a.m.-3 p.m.

Vinz Wine Bar (No Wine) (Escondido)

October 5, 2015 Cathy American/New American Restaurants, Pizza, Pubs and Pub Grub, What Cathy Eats!

Thanks for stopping by to read mmm-yoso!!!, a food blog. Kirk is having some technical difficulties, while Ed (from Yuma) is enjoying the pleasant weather (in Yuma) and Cathy is writing a quick post.

We parked in front of Vinz a few weeks ago when stopping at EscoGelato for a sweet treat and The Mister kept it in mind when it was His turn to choose one of his birthday meals. Vinz has been here at the corner of East Grand at Kalmia since 2008.One side of Vinz is a bar and the other side (closed during lunch) has tableclothed tables and only wines stored on display.

A daily lunch menu is provided and The Mister and I both had narrowed our choices to two – the same ones. Serendipity!The House Cheese & Pate Plate ($14) included great multi seeded crackers along with a partial baguette, some greens, roasted garlic cloves, olives, a dollop of a hearty mustard, capers and some fig jam. The seemingly small scoop of duck mousse pate was more than enough of pure luxury; rich, smooth with fresh herbs and cognac melded together, giving a burst of flavor in each bite. The cheeses were a smoked Gouda, Havarti and Brie. This would have gone perfectly with a glass of wine…but you know-daytime, driving, laws.The Pizza Blanca con Spinaci ($11) was really wonderful. Homemade ricotta cheese, roasted garlic, fresh spinach, and mozzarella and parmesan cheeses. You can see the wonderful thin crust. The homemade ricotta…all of it…it just went so well together.

A very nice lunch for a special celebration day.

Vinz Wine Bar 201 East Grand (at Kalmia) Escondido 92025 (760)743-8466 website Open Mon 11:30-9, Tues, Wed, Th 11:30-10, Fri, Sat 11:30-11 Sun 11:30-8

Alaskan Seafood Connection (Normal Heights)

October 4, 2015 Cathy American/New American Restaurants, Sandwiches, Seafood, What Cathy Eats!

mmm- yoso!!! is a food blog. Today, Cathy is writing a blog post so that Kirk and Ed(from Yuma) can relax and enjoy more of this beautiful, cool weekend.

It's that time of year again; The Mister celebrated his birthday and mine was a week later. We go out to eat every day in between and therefore I have quite a few meals to share with you.

Today's post is from a 'my choice' day. The Mister didn't know where I was driving nor what to expect, as is common during our birthday week…we only discuss sharing items when ordering but not restaurant choices.From across the street, I was happy to see the two tables in front of Corner Liquor (which is near but not *on* the South East corner of Adams at Felton) were empty. Those two tables and six chairs are the only seating available.

Alaskan Seafood Connection has shared a space within Corner Liquor since 2013. Seeing an up close of the sandwich board with the current menu should make it clearer to you as to why I chose Alaskan Seafood Connection for my special lunch. Here's a peek inside the door. The menu is repeated on the counter.Walk to the far end of the counter to place your order and pay. You can also purchase refrigerated and frozen seafood items from the cases on this side. You place your order and pay…and will be told how long the wait will be.

The back and other side of the space (not photographed) is the beverage/liquor store and its cash register is just across from this one. (You know, in case you want a beverage with your meal). Our 'appetizer' choice: 'Steamed P.E. Mussels' ($5.99). 'P.E.' is an abbreviation for Prince Edward Island Mussels, a sustainable seafood item. These small yet meaty mussels were simply steamed and served with a garlic butter. There were about two dozen in this serving (usually we count, but we didn't this time). We ended up tearing off some bread to eat the mussels and butter from the below item-The Lobster Roll ($12.99). Fresh Maine lobster broken into chunks and mixed simply with mayonnaise, salt and pepper…served on a lightly toasted roll with some lettuce and sweet pickles. There was a lot of lobster meat in this sandwich. The simple preparation made the sweet meatiness of the fresh cooked lobster shine through.Deciding on a fried item was easy for us; the Fried Scallop Platter ($9.99) included french fries and cole slaw…more to share. The sweet Bay scallops were breaded and fried to perfection (as were the potatoes). The slaw was refreshing and simply sauced.

There are condiments on the counter if needed, but all of the items are just right, to my taste.

All in all, a tasty, fresh and fun birthday lunch. From a kitchen inside a Liquor Store.

I hope you'll have a good week!

Alaskan Seafood Connection 3355 Adams Ave San Diego 92116 (619)281-3089

Closed Monday Open Tues-Fri 11:30-3:30 and 5-10 Sat 12-10:30, Sun 12-8This is the view from the table, in case you don't want to look for addresses or cross streets.

Manna Restaurant (Chula Vista)(Pancake House/Chinese Fast Food)

October 3, 2015 Cathy American/New American Restaurants, Breakfast/Brunch, Chinese Restaurants, What Cathy Eats!

We here at mmm-yoso!!! are all enjoying this remarkably beautiful weekend. Kirk is relaxing after a solid week of craziness, Ed (from Yuma) is enjoying all that Yuma has to offer and Cathy is writing this short post, so that you have something different and perhaps interesting to read when you stop by to visit.

Apparently, there are a couple of all you can eat Korean BBQ places around San Diego County named "Manna". That's not what this post is about. The Chula Vista Manna Restaurant is not only a place to get a great breakfast, but also a place to get Chinese fast food, burgers and sandwiches.

About the third paragraph on my Vanessa's Deli post, I mentioned that we went to Vanessa's the first time because there was a line of people waiting to get into Manna. Both of those restaurants in this small strip mall, anchored by a Liquor Store and Laundromat (with a gas station in the middle of the parking lot) are constantly busy.Possibly because of the prices, but also because of the unique food selection and proximity to the above mentioned Laundromat.The owner, an older Chinese gentleman, supervises in the kitchen but comes out in front greeting people regularly throughout each hour; you'll see him at least once on each visit. He is very nice.

Booths and tables, two televisions, part of the menu photographed and displayed behind the cash register (those three photos of teriyaki plates at the bottom right side are *not* the same), this local owned diner type restaurant has been in operation at this location since 2009. On weekends, only breakfast is served.After much trial and error, we have found the chicken fried steak ($8.99) with eggs, toast and home fries is our breakfast preference. The crispy coating is just right and stands up to the home made peppery sausage gravy.The pancakes here are made from their own mix of ingredients and are fluffy, a bit crispy on the edges and always so good. Above, the special on the window not photographed ($3.99) of two pancakes, two eggs and two sausage. Just right flavors, really nice sausage and more than enough food for a breakfast.

Here is the menu, just click to enlarge. The Chinese Fast Food Menu is the third one above.

There is a 'Combo A' ($4.99) and a 'Combo B' ($5.99) on the menu. Each has fried rice, chowmein and a choice of two items (of 13 choices). The 'Combo B' includes two (vegetable) egg rolls. Above, the two items chosen are the garlic chicken wings and Kung Pao Chicken. Amazingly good. Not salty, fried correctly, sauces made here and not from a bottle or a can.This is the teriyaki chicken plate ($6.99). The teriyaki sauce is not sweet, salty or sticky. It's really quite good. You can see the portion size is excellent. From the 'American' part of the menu. The bacon cheeseburger ($5.99) ($6.99 with fries or slaw) is pretty standard. The toasted bun and thick bacon are nice and the burger is flavorful. It's a good choice for someone who is not adventurous.The Top Sirloin plate ($9.99) is also pretty standard; I have come to prefer the chicken fried steak over this. The hash browns are a crispy excellence though and I must say the eggs are always perfectly prepared.

All in all, a nice, local choice. I was happy to have told cc and her family about this West Chula Vista gem that I'd been keeping my little secret. They've been here, twice now.

Manna Restaurant 600 F Street (at Broadway), Suite C Chula Vista 91910 (619) 425-9270 Mon-Sat 7 a.m.-8 p.m. Sun 7 a.m.-3 p.m.

Farmer and The Seahorse (another lunch in an Office Park)

September 22, 2015 Cathy American/New American Restaurants, What Cathy Eats!

Thanks for stopping by to read mmm-yoso!!!, a blog about food. Kirk has a cumbersome load at work today, while Ed (from Yuma) has a comparatively small list of 'to-do' items and Cathy has an unsubstantial schedule on this rainy Tuesday; that's why she is writing this post.

Since about November, The Mister and I have been in the La Jolla area once a month, for various appointments. Following those, we look for lunch, more often than not stopping at one of the two locations of Green Acre, a great set of restaurants founded by Top Chef (Season 3) 'Cheftestant' Brian Malarkey, a San Diego resident and co-owner of "fabric themed" (Searsucker, Gabardine, Burlap, Gingham and Herringbone) restaurants around town. It turns out that Farmer and The Seahorse is another great place founded by Malarkey.

Everyone has to eat, and finding a restaurant near work is usually easy, but not always interesting. So, when we saw this signage…attached to the front of one of the buildings in the 'Biotech' area of Torrey Pines Road (just across from Scripps Green Hospital)…we figured the same concept applied (good, quality food in an office park).Driving toward Torreyana Road, we saw this view of an outdoor seating area just behind a nondescript office building…When we rounded the corner to park in the front lot of that decidedly generic office building…anticipating another possibly great lunch ahead we noticed the lobby area was buzzing with people in a large, open adjacent room. There were signs directing us to take the stairs or elevator to the second floor…Arriving at the top of the stairs, we saw it…while noticing an area of office spaces you can rent, just off to the right. The multipurpose building is interesting.Walking toward the self order/cash register/reception area, you pass this beautifully converted (into a meeting room area) Airstream. There are a variety of seating areas here, as well as various separate rooms, similar to the second location of Green Acre.

There is no garden here, though, because the food concept, while similar, is a bit different.Because we didn't have a reservation (?)(it was a Friday, and…well my guess is there may have been some sort of 'event' planned) we were seated outside, which was fine; the day was nice.Here is a little peek inside…and the bar area. Usually, we don't order beverages, but I had been curious about Butterscotch (instead of root) Beer ($2) after seeing it sold in a six pack…but not wanting to obligate myself to a large purchase. This was a great melding of flavors…spicy with with a smooth almost carmel-y butterscotch/vanilla undertone.

That's not beer in the glass. Both of us have been trying cold brew coffees this summer and the menu showed a 'cold press' ($4.50), so we had to try it (excellent).

{The menu photos will turn as they enlarge}

The small menu means all items are fresh…and within the theme of both 'farmer' and 'the sea'. The Shrimp Louie Louie ($14) sounded good- and not like a 'traditional' Shrimp Louie. This included four very large fresh tasting grilled shrimp, the soft lettuces enjoyed at Green Acre, green beans, cucumber, scallions, capers and peppadew peppers with a light, creamy house dressing. Wow. Fresh and plenty and great tasting.The Farmer and Seahorse version of 'fish and chips' ($13): Local Cod, served with garden chips and slaw (and a wonderful house made tartar sauce) was beer battered to a perfect crispness. The cod was not your standard, frozen nasty fish, but large, thick, fresh and flaky..all complimented by the light batter.

All in all this was really nice, really good, quite fancy. We'll be back.

Farmer and The Seahorse 10996 Torreyana Road San Diego 92121 (858)260-5401 (no website yet) Open Mon-Fri 7-3 (closed on weekends)

Portland: Case Study Coffee, Tasty n Sons, and the Cheese Bar

September 17, 2015 mmm-yoso American/New American Restaurants, Breakfast/Brunch, Caffeine Fix, Cheese, Portland, Oregon, Travel

*** Tasty n Sons and Cheese Bar have closed

I'd planned on having one "walking" (aka death march) day in Portland and this Thursday was to be it. Little did I know just how much walking we'd do…..on this day and the next because of some unplanned detours.

Things started as planned. Just a block or so away from the hotel is Case Study Coffee Roasters. Very chill and mellow.

The Missus got a pour-over, which was nice, and She decided that I should get the Lavender Infused Cold Brew…which seemed kind of, well, feminine…..but was nice with a refreshing clean finish.

Case Study Coffee
802 SW 10th Ave
Portland, OR 97205

The plan was as follows…the Missus wanted to walk, so I'd decided to head to Mount Tabor, via the Hawthorne Bridge and Hawthorne Boulevard. A decent 4 – 4 1/2 mile walk. We'd take our time and have lunch at Cheese Bar on SE Belmont Street, then catch the #15 Bus back to the hotel for a nice afternoon nap before walking another couple of miles to dinner. As we left case study, the Missus decided that we needed to try Tasty n Sons. We'd gone to Tasty n Alder twice during our last visit to Portland and She wanted to see how TnS lined up…. So let's just add another 4 miles total to things shall we? One does not argue with the Missus when She gets into "mission mode"…..

So off we went. The Broadway Bridge was undergoing some work as we crossed so the bike lane and pedestrian walk area was a single thin path. Folks were biking to work so we'd stop and move under the scaffolding to let them pass. I'd forgotten how friendly and nice folks in PDX were. Every bike rider who passed us and there were many smiled and said "thank you"……

We crossed over the I-5 over to N Vancouver, then to N Williams Avenue. Man that part of North Williams near the Emanuel Medical Center is kind of depressing….but you soon get close to NE Fremont Street with the ton of bikes (3,000 bike commuters on this street daily is what I read), businesses, and gentrification. We'd arrived…..

The building Tasty n Sons is located in is quite interesting, it's named the Hub and contains almost every single type of new-agey business you can imagine, even a Naturopathic Vet!

Anyway, we were seated quickly upon entering the restaurant….we found the service here to not be quite as friendly or efficient as Tasty n Alder or even Toro Bravo (an upcoming post). Still, we sat at the counter facing the street and had a nice meal.

Seeing Shakshuka on the menu, we couldn't resist…and of course, there's the Missus's love of runny eggs…and my love of grilled bread.

The eggs were wonderfully runny, the bread nicely charred and smokey. The shakshuka could have had a bit more zip; both in terms of heat, sweet red pepper, and tangy tomato flavors. Of course, since we make our own at home quite often, we have a certain expectation in terms of flavor and prep. Still, this was good.

The real winner was the Moroccan Chicken Hash and of course, yet another egg for the Missus.

The spice-salt-earthy flavors was just what we were craving. The chicken was nicely seasoned and the creamy sauce brought everything together.

During the recent hot weather, I've been making a nice chilled heirloom tomato and mozzarella salad with aged balsamic and Arbequina Olive Oil, which is so delicious. So we were excited to try the Heirloom Tomatoes. Well, you can't claim false advertising as it is heirloom tomato slices.

To our tastes it was a little low on both the acid and sweetness scale and the kitchen had been a bit too liberal in the application of salt.

Overall a nice, hearty, but not too heavy breakfast. I had encouraged the Missus to order the Radicchio Salad here, but for some reason She decided not to. Something She'd regret later.

Tasty n Sons
3808 N Williams Ave
Portland, OR 97212

And so with some cajoling I got my butt in gear and we headed east on NE Fremont, then down MLK Boulevard. On this day, the temps were supposed to hit the high 80's (the next day would go into the 90's) and it was getting pretty warm by the time we got NE Belmont. The walk was slightly uphill, but not too steep.

There are quite a few interesting places along the way…..

Over 5 miles later, we got to the place I'd originally planned as our lunch stop; Cheese Bar.

We've really been enjoying cheese over the last couple of years. Cheese Bar along with the new "Chizu" in downtown are retail/cheese-wine bars owned by Steve Jones former winner of the National Cheese Monger Invitational Contest.

I was pooped, hot, and rather sweaty. Strangely, I was also a bit hungryl. Cheese Bar serves up cheese boards, charcuterie boards featuring Olympia Provisions products, sandwiches, beer, wine, and salads. We just ordered two cheese boards and had some highly restorative mineral water.

The House Cheese Board featured three Spanish Cheeses, chutney, and crostini ($11).

Really nice aged Sheep's milk cheeses. From right to left, a Mahón Reserva, a Buenalba, and a very nutty Zamorano. The Mahón seemed a bit behind the other two in terms of assertive flavors. But after letting the flavors open up as it reached room temperature the sweetness of the cheese became apparent.

We also got the "Stinky" Board with Crostini ($8).

The Grayson (on the left) is slightly ripe, though quite mild in flavor. The Vulto Creamery Ouleout has a wonderful texture, a slightly ripe smell but was also a bit mild for our taste. I guess we've gotten used to Harbison.

This was a nice stop for a light lunch. If we'd been doing some self-catering, we'd surely have gotten a couple of cheeses and a baguette.

Cheese Bar
6031 SE Belmont
Portland, OR 97215

I really looked like "Ji-chan" as I stood up….geez, I'm surely not getting any younger…..especially after taking a "nice" over 9 mile morning walk! The Missus was nice enough to allow us to return to downtown on the #15 bus. I crawled back to our hotel room, showered….and then it was time for a short nap. Which I hoped would be restorative since we'd be walking to dinner!

Thanks for reading!