American/New American Restaurants – Page 27

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!

Portland: Le Pigeon

September 15, 2015 mmm-yoso American/New American Restaurants, Fine Dining, French Restaurants, Portland, Oregon, Travel

Call it unfinished business. You know how that goes….we really need to close that circle; like returning to Istanbul twice to get things right. After our meal at Little Bird Bistro, the Missus really wanted to return to Portland. Which is how we ended up on the Red Line to Downtown PDX watching this couple and their ferret. He, smelling like he'd been knocking back a few….as if to confirm this, taking a "48" out of his bag and having a couple of swigs. She meanwhile, was going goo-goo and gaa-gaa over the little guy. As soon as they told the person sitting across the way from them how sweet the little fellow was, he dropped a huge load on her bag. Life is funny that way.

Anyway, we had caught the late afternoon flight to Portland, took the Red Line…a bargain at $2.50 a person downtown and to our hotel; the Paramount. I'd made late reservations at Le Pigeon….late enough that the Missus decided that we should walk the mile and a half or so to the restaurant.

Which was actually a pretty nice walk, in spite of having to pass all the street folks along the way. It was also quite warm…..and it would get much hotter, though not quite as bad as it was in San Diego at the time.

Since it was late in the evening, Le Pigeon wasn't too crowded and we got in a bit early.

The staff were very professional though I'm not a big fan of the communal seating. Call me anti-social, but we can really do without the fake cheer and really don't want to know your business, whether it's your prostate problem, or how you're getting sued by your patients and can't find a job on the West Coast anymore….and even more so all of your food allergies. The long suffering young lady put on a cheerful front when the guy sitting next to us insisted upon getting the tasting menu…then went down the list of all his allergies…tomatoes, avocados, carrots, garlic, this type of milk product, that type of milk product, gluten, blah, blah, blah…..I really, really don't want to know that the only thing in the world you can consume is breast milk. Why in the world are you getting the tasting menu when you can't eat anything except cardboard?

Meanwhile, our meal was excellent.

From the Foie Gras "Hot Brown" ($25), a wonderful piece of nicely seared foie gras that just melted in your mouth. The turkey, which tasted smoked was full of flavor as was the bacon…..

The egg was a wonderful runny joy, we loved the acid from the tomatoes, and the toast was light and quite crisp. Tell you what….I'll take a slice of foie gras over Mornay sauce on my Hot Brown any day of the week.

And while the Ricotta Gnocchi ($16) was a bit too "squeaky" for our tastes, the cheese and the sauce were wonderful.

Perfect garlic, salt, milky flavors in harmony….the wonderfully beefy beef tongue in the dish just topped things off.

The best overall dish of our trip (not necessarily the best bite…more on that later) in my opinion was the Grilled Short Rib ($29).

The short rib was amazing. Ever had medium rare, thick cut short rib that wasn't on the tough side? This was just toothful enough, nicely seared, beefy, and yes, medium rare. I'm thinking sous vide? And yet, my favorite component was the wonderful mashed potatoes….it had a mild sweetness and I swear, there was a familiar umami flavor to it. We were told that sweet corn and miso was pureed with the potatoes. The smoked corn and tomato salad with soy braised oxtail was excellent. I'd go back to Le Pigeon just for those potatoes.

Our least favorite dish of the night was the Beef Cheek Bourguinon ($28).

While the texture of the braised beef cheek was just perfect; fork tender without being mushy. The sauce was just plain overkill; much too sour and bitter for our taste. The risotto, made with that wonderful, ripe, epoisses cheese, would seem to be just up our alley, but the rice was on the tough side with a hard core and that sauce just killed any other flavors.

While I considered ordering the signature foie gras profiteroles, there was just no way I could put away anything more after all this rich food. We went with the Cucumber-Watermelon sorbet ($6) instead, which was still way too much for us to finish.

The service was friendly, professional, and the timing excellent.

I'm thinking Le Pigeon will be a regular stop on future visits to Portland.

Le Pigeon
738 E Burnside St
Portland, OR 97214

We enjoyed a nice walk back to the hotel after dinner down "colorful" Burnside. It was a warm evening. We'd had a wonderful dinner and this was just our first evening in Portland!

The Hills-Local Pub (La Mesa)

September 11, 2015 Cathy American/New American Restaurants, Burgers, Pubs and Pub Grub, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso!!! is about food. It's a blog of places Kirk, Ed (from Yuma) and Cathy enjoy meals. On this extremely humid Friday, Kirk is out and about, enjoying a mini-vacation while Ed (from Yuma) is staying indoors (in Yuma) avoiding heat and Cathy is at the computer, writing today's post.

Today, I will write about a pleasant adventure The Mister and I had a few weeks ago, when going out to eat did not include a factor of checking whether or not a place was air conditioned before considering (or rejecting) it as a lunch stop.The Hills is located on La Mesa Boulevard, just across from The Lunch Box (in fact that first photo of The Lunch Box post was taken from the front window of The Hills). A quiet part of town (almost a mile from where La Mesa Oktoberfest will be held) this part of La Mesa Boulevard is backed up by a quiet neighborhood area.The beer selection is updated regularly and is quite extensive. Each tabletop condiment container has the current listing.

You can click on the photos or here to see the menu.Above, my choice: Meanie Fries ($9.95). Fried potatoes (nice and crisp) topped with cheddar cheese, ortega chiles, chopped grilled chicken, "meanie sauce" (it's spicy!) and a fried egg. Technically a proper meal, due to the protein toppings. This was indeed, very good with the 'meanie' sauce part pretty much necessitating a few swigs of good, cold beer.The Mister wanted to try the Bistro Burger ($10.95, substitute salad for fries,$1). It's a 1/2 pounder, cooked to order (medium rare for us) and topped with mozzarella, bacon, fried brussel sprouts and a balsamic aioli. The flavors go very well together.Above, crispy remnants of brussels sprouts…which were cleared up after this photo was taken. {Lately been frying and using brussel sprouts leaves as a topping at our home cooked meals. This is a great idea}

I hope everyone has a safe and cool(er) weekend!

The Hills Local Pub 8758 La Mesa Blvd La Mesa 91941 (619) 741-7166 website

Yes, it's sort of an East County 'chain', with catering available.

Suzy Q’s Diner (Escondido)

September 1, 2015 Cathy American/New American Restaurants, Breakfast/Brunch, Sandwiches, What Cathy Eats!

Thanks for stopping by to read mmm-yoso!!! Cathy is writing a short post today. Kirk got caught up in something at work and Ed(from Yuma) is also crazy busy.

I somehow was on one of the one way streets in Escondido earlier this year, took a turn to try to find my way back to some sort of familiar landmark and was stopped at the signal light on Juniper at East 2nd and noticed this building. Eventually, I brought The Mister here, so we could try out the food. This definitely is an original building spanning the block. Now it is broken into separate storefronts: Suzy Q's, a small Mexican Restaurant, a Mexican Bakery (Panaderia Oaxaqueña) as well as a Laundromat. I couldn't research what it used to be, but did discover that Suzy Q's has been open since January and is family owned.The decor is 50's style with corresponding music being played overhead. The menu is kind of kitschy, with some silly names for items (the Jed Clampett omelet, Patsy Cline, Jailhouse Rock, Milton Berle, Ricky Ricardo, Mickey Rooney, Dean Martin, Patty Page…then again, these names may not mean anything to you. I digress)

I had low expectations, which were quickly dashed.Monte Cristo (chalkboard special, so no silly name) ($11.49). Wow, this was great. A ham and cheese sandwich on a hearty white bread, dipped in egg and fried, like French Toast, topped with some powdered sugar and served with some great blackberry preserves, fruit and a spinach salad. Quality, thick ham, quality cheese…really great.This is the 'Bye Bye Birdie' ($7.99). Holes cut into two thick pieces of white toast, an egg dropped into the hole and cooked to my request (easy); all of it topped with a really great sausage gravy. Served with Country Potatoes, and either bacon or sausage, this was another winner. A great meal. So glad I took the wrong turn and discovered this gem.

Suzy Q's Diner 258 E. 2nd (at Juniper) Escondido 92025 Closed Mondays. Open Tues-Thurs 7-3, Fri 9-9, Sat-Sun 7-3

2016 Rose Parade float road tests (3 &4) Breakfast at Silver Dollar Pancake House (Corona)

August 20, 2015 Cathy American/New American Restaurants, Breakfast/Brunch, Diner, Festivals & Events, Los Angeles County, Road Trip, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso!!! Sometimes we write about events in addition to food. Cathy and Her Mister took a few short road trips and here's what they saw and ate. {Kirk and Ed (from Yuma) are both still too busy to write today}.

It's been a while since I wrote about the first road test of floats that will participate in the 2016 Tournament of Roses Rose Parade. A second road test was held two weeks later (on a Saturday in June) and The Mister and I couldn't go to that one. We've been to the third testing and the fourth test just occurred, so this post is a summary of what we've seen, along with what we ate.

First, breakfast following the 7 a.m. tests. You may recall a post from last year, about us stopping at Cupid's following a float road test. When we had left that stop, which we happened upon because of a terrible bit of traffic, we noticed this building……making mental notes that it looked interesting, especially if we had to jump off the freeway again. This past Saturday we had an opportunity.
When you first step inside, there's a horseshoe shaped counter, where you can sit if you see an empty chair. Else, you can sign in under the signage (to the right) and wait for a seat in the adjacent dining area.
While waiting, I read several of the framed newspaper articles in the 'lobby' This one has a good photo of the counter area and the unique seating there. We only saw one open seat or would've sat there, but the wait was not long since we were here before 9 a.m. {Briefly, Silver Dollar Pancake House has been in this location since 1925 and the current family owners used to work here}

The pancake menu here is similar to Original Pancake House, but not in terms of price (ex. coffee is $1.99). Similarly, Silver Dollar is open for lunch and closes in late afternoon. The Mister chose the Silver Dollar Special ($8.99). Two eggs, two bacon, two sausage and two of any of the special pancakes from the pancake menu. He chose the banana pancakes because the description said the bananas were baked in, not merely a topping. Then again, the topping is a delightful sweet mix of a sort of caramel and chopped pecans. Wonderful pancakes, great (skin on) sausage, orange yolked eggs (cooked perfectly over easy, which is not an easy thing to do).
When I saw plates being delivered to other tables, the portion sizes looked huge, so my decision was to be different (!) and I ordered the #3 special ($5.49 plus an additional 69¢ for a sausage patty substitution), French toast and two eggs (plus the sausage). This was a great choice. The two slices of French Toast were cooked perfectly…thick bread was used, the outside was crispy and the interior soft and fluffy. That sausage patty was excellent and the eggs were poached perfectly.

All in all a great breakfast, a great Diner with great people working. We'll be back. The tabletops? Each is centered with a different breakfast item photo and all are embedded with ads.

Silver Dollar Pancake House 710 East Sixth Corona, CA 92879 (951) 737-5977 Open Mon-Sat 5 a.m.-4 p.m., Sun 6 a.m.-4 p.m.

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On to the floats. The 2016 entry by the City of Los Angeles is titled "Discover Los Angeles". The first two photos of the July Road Test and 'fire drill' show the float expanded. The third photo shows the float inside the Phoenix Decorating Company barn, with the float collapsed (as it will have to, several times along the parade route). Also, the float has been colored in, which will be a guide for the volunteer decorators (who will begin the first Saturday in December). Do you see the 'Spotter' for this float in the second photo? He's inside the incorrectly proportioned Capitol Records building. Childrens Hospital of West Virginia will have their first float in the 2016 Tournamentof Roses Rose Parade. It's titled "Wild and Wonderful". In the second photo, you can see a small slot in the front (to your right) 'pier of bricks'. That's where the 'Spotter' is seated. (In the first photo, you can see the opened doors for the Spotter and the Driver).

The Shriners Hospitals for Children 2016 entry, "Fezzy Races To Adventure" was road tested in July. You see both sides of the float. You can see that people who are seated along the Parade route get different views of the same float. Again, in the top photo, you can see the opened doors for the Driver and the Spotter.

Clicking onto one of the two first photos, you can see rebar outlines of a horse and a buffalo. Look at the above photo, inside the barn. (Enlarge it.) The now screened over float has much more definition… and an eagle!…you can see Mount Rushmore (in keeping with the co-sponsors of the 2016 parade, the U.S. National Park Service along with the general parade theme of "Find Your Adventure").

There were more floats tested for driving and maneuverability, all in rebar. I'll post those with more finished photos, so you can see progression all in one post, instead of having to jump back and forth…the parade is in less than six months!

I hope your week has been going well. As always, thanks for reading.

The Village Kitchen (Ocean Beach)

August 17, 2015 Cathy American/New American Restaurants, Diner, What Cathy Eats!

Thanks for stopping by to read this food blog named mmm-yoso!!! Kirk is again having a busy few days at work and Ed (from Yuma) is having a busy few days staying indoors, avoiding the heat (in Yuma). Cathy is busy writing a few posts about places where she's had a meal.

Late one overcast morning, The Mister and I drove West and spent a considerable amount of time looking for a parking space. We ended up about four blocks from the ocean on Newport Avenue near Sunset Cliffs Boulevard. This bright yellow storefront caught our eye.Standout bright yellow…and such a narrow storefront…but the building is deep. The restaurant has been in that location a long time. Mom and Pop…everyone in here seemed to know each other…a locals hangout. That's the ocean…you can see the American flag on the post that's built into the sidewalk at the edge of the beach, if you squint.Classic diner decor…breakfast is served all day, but there were some menu items that we were more interested in trying.The Monday special- meatloaf ($6.95). The slices of meatloaf were thin, but so flavorful… the color of gravy is a hint- carrot was used in the loaf and therefore the gravy, and there was not much bread filler; it was all meat. The potatoes and veggies were standard (and went well with the gravy) and the grilled toasted dinner roll was just enough bread for the meal.Asking if the chili was made here (and being unaware of the Ocean Beach Chili Cook Off), I was answered with a hearty "of course!". (Mental note: the OB Street Festival and Chili Cook Off occurs during the San Diego County Fair). I ordered a cup ($3.95).

Well. This was more of a soup-chili, which I grew up eating. It had beans, which is how Mom made it. All the right flavors were there. Nostalgia.What really caught my eye while reading the menu was the Stuffed Tomato ($6.75). Stuffed with a generous portion of Tuna Salad. A wonderful, lightly dressed, simple, made with good tuna Tuna Salad. Cutting up the tomato and having forkfuls with the lettuce, cheese and occasional pickle had some food memories triggered. This was a great meal…and I am on the lookout for Stuffed Tomato on menus…my new craving.

Village Kitchen Restaurant 4853 Newport Avenue San Diego 92107 (619)222-0151 Open Mon-Tue-Wed 7:30-2, Thur-Fri 7:30-6 Sat 8-6, Sun 8-2