American/New American Restaurants – Page 38

A Happy Hour Revisit to The Lion’s Share

April 17, 2013 mmm-yoso American/New American Restaurants, Pubs and Pub Grub

The Lion's Share is another one of those places where the starters and apps had always seem to outshine the entrees. Though I've only posted on the place once, I'd eaten there a couple of times since. The Missus had never been to the Lion's Share, so I thought it would be a nice place for an early happy hour. The place can be fairly pricey, but with $2 off draft beer and 20% off appetizers, I thought we could have an interesting meal. A wild cad in the whole situation was that this "gastro-lounge" had changed chefs a while back and I hadn't visited since.

Since there was no one else in the place, we sat in the well lit front area. The bar can be rather dark. There had been an art show during the previous weekend and the work of that artist, somewhat bizarre and dark was still up on the walls. I'm pretty sure it made for some interesting conversation……

We started with the Deviled Eggs ($8 – I'm listing all regular prices, I'm sure you can do 20% off, right?).

These seemed a bit dried out and the first one, with the piment d'Espelette was on the bitter side, like not so great smoked paprika. But it got better as we went down the line. The second is black tobiko caviar, briney, but not too salty, the truffle and prosciutto, the third deviled egg was ok. It was the Quail Confit devlied egg, the fourth one, that was the best.

I was glad that the Antelope Sliders ($14) were still on the menu.

Cooked to a perfect past medium, these are still my favorite here, though on this visit it was a bit on the salty side.

We both enjoyed the mild gamey flavors, which melded well with the sweet caramelized red onions. Having cooked with antelope has given me a better appreciation for how they manage to keep this moist and fairly tender.

The Duck Meatballs ($14) were our least favorite dish of the evening.

First, the brown on brown, on brown color really didn't look appetizing. Second, though the meatballs were very tender and moist, it was very finely ground, which made it kind of mushy. Third, and the main reason we didn't enjoy this was the over-powering sweetness of the dish. We couldn't get past that.

Much like the deviled eggs, the Exotic Sausage board ($16), got better as you went down the line.

We both enjoyed the charred bread and the rather mellow whole grain mustard. The pheasant sausage (left) was our least favorite. It was very cumin heavy; this coming from someone who loves cumin! It smelled like armpit and sort of tasted like what I think armpit would taste like. The duck sausage (middle) was nice, mild sweetness, and I enjoyed the spices they used in it. The elk sausage was our favorite, slightly gamey, with an enjoyable savory-sweetness. I was told that a port wine reduction is used in making the sausage. Two out of three ain't bad.

Even at happy hour prices, a night of starts and apps at the Lion's Share ain't cheap. The food is on the rich side and on this occasion hit and miss. I'd still return for those antelope sliders and perhaps some kangaroo tartar, or maybe Lamb Tacos de Lengua. Our Server was mellow, friendly, though not overly so, and efficient, though we were the only people in the place.

The Lion's Share
629 Kettner Boulevard
San Diego, CA 92101

Hours:
Open daily 4 pm – 2 am

Las Vegas: Dinner at Sage

March 12, 2013 mmm-yoso American/New American Restaurants, Fine Dining, Las Vegas, Memorable Meals, Nevada, Road Trip

What to do after two lunches in Vegas? Well, I guess a walk up the strip was in order. I parked at Aria, took the tram to the Bellagio, then headed up the strip. At Fashion Show Mall, where the Missus had checked out the latest from Lululemon the night before, I crossed the street and headed back.

On the way back, I decided to kill a couple of minutes at Harrah's, a place where I've had some luck in the past. I ended up making about $200 and decided it was time to flee…..

For our final dinner in Vegas, the Missus decided that we should do sort of a blow-out meal. Unfortunately, just about every place I wanted was booked, Guy Savoy, Joel Robuchon, even Picasso, no bueno. My fifth pick was Sage, in the Aria. I'd heard some nice things about the place and it seemed a lot less assuming than the other four. Years ago, when Michelin Stars and stuff like that really mattered to us, we'd have been disappointed. But after doing The French Laundry, Spago, et al, the Missus and I decided that stuff really isn't for us. Some of it was stuffy and rather pretentious and you can get to the point where you're describing the food like a science project, not my style. But hey…..every once in a while you gotta live, right? And Sage really isn't that expensive.

We arrived right when they opened at 5. Though you might take a risk with the kitchen not being in full swing….they haven't hit their rhythm yet, I still prefer a more relaxed time. And though things might get kind of hectic at the tail end of your meal, you at least have enjoyed most of your meal.

We were the second party seated and our Server, who introduced himself as "Bond, as in you know…." was a pro's pro. He was also quite a character…..we came to find out his name was Jason Bond. Next up was what and how to order. You see, I wanted the Chef's Tasting Menu with the Beer Pairing, the Missus did not. And I understand the issues with pacing and all of that. If you're getting six courses and the person across from you is just getting an app and a main, well there's going to be a lot of dead time for the person having the conventional meal. Again, we plan for the win-win. So when I explained to Mr Bond that only one of us would like the six course tasting, he tried to discourage us from doing that. Until I explained our proposal. I'd get the six course with the beer pairing and the Missus would get five starters. In essence we'd be creating our own little tasting menu. We've often found starters to be more interesting than mains in many cases. Bond got really excited about this and told us it was a great idea, he went to check with the kitchen, who he said was "excited about this". I don't know about that, but we also told him to have the kitchen sequence the starters any way they please….which would mean that it would indeed be like having our own tasting menu.

Things started out with what looked like Himalyan salt and a herb butter. We were shown the bread basket and the two different breads. The serious looking, but really funny young man said, "I think you should each take both." In the end we took one of each. We knew we had a pretty rich meal in front of us.

The sour dough was decent, nice textures. The bacon roll; well, we were tempted to get another.

We were brought an amuse of a Kumamoto Oyster with Tequila Mignonette, and Piquillo Pepper.

The mignonette had a nice tartness to it, very cleansing. Love the sweetness of Piquillo Peppers, I'll probably have to buy some one of these days.

When we had finished up the oyster, the first beer of our tasting arrived. This was a St Feuillien Saison from Belgium. Very crisp, with a nice, almost sweet aroma. This was very easy to drink, light and airy. We also noted that the temperature of the beer was just right on perfect.

This was paired with the Chilled Main Lobster. The brown butter added a nice nuttiness to the dish, making it seem a lot lighter than it was. The Missus is not a big lobster fan, but this lobster was wonderfully sweet and very tender.

The Missus got the Wagyu Beef Tartare ($18).

This was very good. The creamy lightly poached egg yolk just added that extra luxurious texture to the very fatty, melt in your mouth Wagyu Beef. Two interesting touches, the pickled mustard seeds which helped to cut the richness and the savory crisp chocolate made this dish just that much better.

Next up was an interesting dish, the Foie Gras Brulee. Tasting the combinations of flavors in this was rather unpleasant for me as I thought it way too sweet.

Though I loved the salted brioche, the brulee was too much like having candy and pudding for dinner. Great when you're in elementary school, but not after. The cocoa nibs did act to settle things down and take it into a more savory-coffee direction, but it was just too much, until…… I tried this with the beer pairing.

This dish was pared with the Dogfish Head Midas Touch. The Missus loved it as well, it has a mead-like texture and that honey like flavor. There some fruitiness to it and the Missus enjoyed that component….I'm thinking that is probably due to the use of muscat grapes in the making of this. It's a favorite beer of our now. This just seemed to take that sharp sweet edge off the Foie Gras Brulee. To me, this was an awesome pairing.

The Missus got the Grilled Spanish Octopus ($22):

You wouldn't have thought this was octopus if you looked at it. Bond told us they removed the suckers and such so as to "not scare the customers". The octopus was very tender, but this wasn't especially memorable.

My next dish was the Pan-Roasted Sea Scallop. Man, the Jamon Iberico, mild salty-sweet, along with the creamy sunchoke-parsley root, and the olive oil made for a wonderful match.

Scallop and cured pig, a match made in heaven….there should be a children's book by that name, don't you think?

This was paired with another beer from Belgium, Duvel. Very fizzy, clean, with what seems like a bit of spice, this didn't mess with the flavor of the scallops.

The Missus got Her second favorite dish of the evening; the Slow Poached Organic Farm Egg($18), which was almost obscured from view by all the shaved truffles.

The Missus just loved this, even the potato foam and the smoked potato. She was in egg-truffle heaven.

Next up was a very nice Venison Tenderloin. This might just be some of the most tender venison I've ever had.

You could really taste the venison in this dish. The combination of flavors was very pleasant.

Loved the pairing, the Ayinger Celebrator Doppelbock looked really heavy, but was not. Has a raisin-chocolate, earthy flavor which goes well with the gamey venison.

Just to prove that there is too much of a good thing, we were stunned at the huge portion size of the Roasted Sweetbreads ($17).

The dish started out really good…especially the sweet and smokey glazed bacon, which was a like a nice smoked pork belly. The sweetbreads were good at first, not the best I've had, they could have been a bit more, well, gooey on the inside. But man, after a couple of bites of this rich stuff, you pretty much wanted to hoist up the white flag. I'd prefer it more lightly fried….and that portion size was quite large for sweetbreads. And yes TFD, these are thymus glands.

Our last two savory dishes were very good. The 48 Hour Beef Belly, was rich, but the roasted quince and the caraway spiced squash helped temper things.

This was served with a Chimay Grande Reserve which was very fruity, perhaps a bit too fruity for my taste.

The Missus's last dish was the Braised Beef Tongue ($19). All I can say is that this was outstanding. Looking all the world like it would be on the waxy side, this was tender to the touch. The celery moved the dish forward by cutting the richness as did the apple cider based sauce. This had the rich, slightly gamey flavor of well made beef tongue.

Our palates were given a nice respite with "Zambuca Caviar"…….

Somebody in the kitchen is playing with spherification! I'm usually not a big fan of sweet anise flavors, but this really did the trick.

I really couldn't do much after this so the Missus had the Grapefruit Semifreddo.

Dessert also came with a hard cider, a Eric Bordelet, Sidre Doux Tendre from France which the Missus really enjoyed. I ordered another Midas Touch as my dessert.

The Missus and I really enjoyed our dinner at Sage. The staff made us feel comfortable. When I told "Bond" that we'd be exchanging plates and sharing, he encouraged it. The service was excellent, efficient, but not hovering nor stuffy. We had a great time……the GM of the restaurant even came over to chat. We never felt rushed and the meal was well paced, clocking in at just a tad over 2 hours. The bill wasn't too bad either. I gave you all the prices for the starters. The Chef's Tasting Menu clocks in at $120, the beer tasting an extra $50, so we're talking about $300 total. I'm kind of glad that my other four choices didn't pan out……

Sage in Aria Resort and Casino
3732 Las Vegas Blvd South
Las Vegas, NV 89109

Las Vegas: Around the Strip and Honey Salt

February 11, 2013 mmm-yoso American/New American Restaurants, Las Vegas, Nevada, Road Trip

I am without a doubt somewhat of a creature of habit, there are certain "rituals" that I follow……in Vegas after dropping the Missus off, I'll take a walk up and down the strip to see what's new. I'll usually do this in the morning to avoid the crowds. It had been four years since our last trip here and for me, the biggest change was the massive City Center complex…..

Things had shifted a bit since our last visit….there are now a good number of suite-style offerings; larger rooms, small kitchens, away from the hustle, bustle, cigarette smoke, and noise of the casinos.

We actually stayed at the Fairfield, not quite on the strip, good sized rooms, and away enough from it all to kind of chill. It was easy to get to the strip though….the shuttle to the Mandalay Bay, the tram to Excalibur, a short walk through Monte Carlo to the tram station from Aria to the Bellagio…..

Soon enough you're staring at the Paris……

Which was enough time for me to head back and catch the shuttle at New York, New York, back to the Fairfield.

As for lunch; well, I usually go off the strip. I'd heard about a newer place in Summerlin, that did…well, that much too often used description, "farm to table comfort cuisine"……yet it came highly recommended. So I took that 20 minute drive. I'm sure the distance really wasn't that bad, it just seemed that way. The restaurant, named Honey Salt, was tucked away in the corner of a strip mall…..

Looking very unassuming from the outside, this place was really happening….so many "women doing lunch". It reminded me of places I've been in say, Scottsdale or Buckhead in Atlanta….. The Hostess was very nice telling me they would have a table for me in a few minutes….but I opted for the mellow bar area……

Which must have been fate….I asked the bartender if "it's okay if I sit here…." His response? "Eh, you from Hawaii, huh?" We call "Vegas" the "9th Island", so many visit and so many have moved there…you can't help but run into someone from "home". And once he introduced himself as "Bozo"…..I knew he was the real deal. This was going to be a great lunch……regardless of the food.

Anyway, beyond the pleasantries…..there were many of the typical, "whea' you from" discussions…, eventually things headed to the menu. I had a couple of things in mind, Harissa crusted strip steak salad and Big Eye Tuna Tartar with Crunchy Quinoa came to mind. But MrB told me the two most popular dishes, at least on his watch, which led me to order items I would never had considered.

Starting with the Turkey Meatballs ($9)…….really, turkey meatballs, when was the last time I ordered these? Try never…..

Caramelized onions and a touch of horseradish added some sweetness and pungency. And though the acid was a bit too much, I gotta say, these were the most moist and tender turkey meatballs I've ever had…literally melting in my mouth. You could easily have mistaken them for veal.

For my main, Bozo told me the Biloxi Buttermilk Fried Chicken Sandwich ($13) was the best seller.

The chicken was very moist, though I would have appreciated a bit more "crunch" to it. The brioche was mildly buttery without being too sweet. The slaw completed without overpowering and added a bit more texture to the sandwich.

Actually, I really enjoyed the salad….the kale and edamame really balanced things out…to the utter joy of the Missus who eats and juices kale by the bushel.

I actually enjoyed the food here more than Urban Solace……

Of course, during our meal, another "Bruddah" stopped by for take-out….what can you say? In the end this was a nice meal made better by eating at the bar and talking to another ex-pat Kama'aina and also the young lady from South Africa who convinced Bruddah Bozo (in slang that means "Boy"), a third generation "Bozo", that he needed to check out Lotus of Siam soon. I also got a nice tip on grabbing some poke too…….

Honey Salt
1031 S Rampart Blvd
Las Vegas, NV 89145

Curly Jones Cafe- when the traffic is bad, take the exit. (Norwalk)

February 7, 2013 Cathy American/New American Restaurants, Breakfast/Brunch, Road Trip, What Cathy Eats!

Here you are, back at mmm-yoso!!! This blog is about food. Sometimes, like today, it's a diary of why, where and what. Other days it's blog/diary about who, when and how as well as hundreds of other combinations of those interrogatives. Kirk is busy, ed (from Yuma) is also busy; Cathy is writing.

One recent weekend, The Mister and I were headed North and hit a terrible patch of traffic somewhere on the older (three lane section) of Interstate 5 just past Disneyland. Since I would rather be moving than just idling in traffic, we took the closest exit and drove the surface roads, trying to parallel the freeway. At some point we saw this building and signage.

Of course the car went straight to the parking lot. When we walked in, the grill and counter seating were to the right and tables and booths to the left. It was crowded, but a few tables were empty (There weren't two seats together at the counter).

There must be a fascinating story behind this place, but it wasn't written inside the menu. The customers all seemed to be locals and our waitress made it a point to welcome us 'strangers' warmly. The interior was a mishmash of decorating styles and photos of that didn't happen. The menu choices were also a bit of a mishmash.

The menu had a few Greek, Italian and Mexican selections, a lot of American/Diner selections and the above Homemade chili section. Since we may not ever find our way back here, we had to order what we may never get a chance to order again…

Eggs and chili ($6). Probably the best chili I've ever tasted. No beans (of course) meaty, spicy (I could detect cinnamon, garlic and cumin and the chili heat level was pleasant). Homemade. The chili was rich and almost like smooth chocolate…a mole of sorts. Poured over nicely scrambled eggs topped with cheese, served with the garlic bread. (I asked for onions on the side -and that bowl appeared with the plate-). This was wonderful and the new thing I learned that day – chili goes with eggs.

Just as wonderful was the chalkboard special of machaca and eggs ($7). Beef, onions, peppers, tomatoes along with more spices (I tasted garlic, oregano and cumin) cooked long and slow into a great stew until the beef falls apart, creating machaca. The stewed meat and vegetables were cooked in a pan with eggs. It was served with really good beans and rice as well as tortillas and a homemade salsa. Wonderful.

A great find, all because of traffic. I hope someday you have gridlock turn out as well.

Curly Jones Cafe 13220 San Antonio Norwalk, CA 90650 Open until 2 or 3 p.m. daily. (562)864-4399

COMC Calorie Bomb Edition: Carmen’s Mexican Food, Harry D’z BBQ, a Caliente Burger, and one repeat

January 24, 2013 mmm-yoso American/New American Restaurants, BBQ, Burgers, Mexican Restaurants, Plate Lunch, yoso-silly

I know that my timing tends to suck……I have a tendency to do these posts right after the New Year. It’s really not on purpose…really. What happens is that I try to close out the previous year and always seem to have some of these “one-off” type photos, so I basically have stuff for a “COMC” (Clearing Out the Memory Card) type of post. So anyway, here’s some “stuffs” from the last quarter, of last year.

Carmen’s Mexican Food:

A couple of folks have mentioned Carmen’s to me and I tell them that I had eaten at Carmen’s back when they were located in Linda Vista, across from what is now K Sandwich. I really wasn’t impressed with the food, which seemed more Am-Mex, then Mexican. Eventually that whole area was razed and Carmen’s was gone. I did feel a twinge of sadness, because even if I didn’t care for the place, a lot of folks did. Then a couple of years ago, Babylon Cafe closed down, and Carmen’s reopened in that location.

I was still not really motivated to eat there, but more than one person mentioned how good their Carne Asada Fries were. After my post on Yesenia’s, I actually received two recommendations for Carmen’s. So after a short CAF recovery period, I decided to drop by for lunch.

The crew here was friendly and all the customers seemed to be regulars, talking about kids, vacations to Disney, Disney cruises, relatives, not seeing “so and so” for a while….you know, that kind of stuff. I actually kind of felt like an outsider, but this gave me an understanding of how the place has cultivated a customer base over the years.

Everything was cooked to order so it took a couple of minutes before my Carne Asada Fries were ready.

This really wasn’t my cup of tea. First, thought I love my dinner fries, I’m not fond of them in my CAF. Since there’s always some guac-crema-salsa action going on, I prefer a higher ration of crispness. Second the guacamole was kind of pasty with no flavor. Third, the carne asada was a lot more tender then it appeared, but was rather tasteless. I’m sure they make their own salsa here, but for some reason it reminded me of Pace Picante. Nothing against Pace, but several decades ago I had a coworker whose second favorite hobby was….how shall I say it…partaking of the “cash crop”. We’d go over for beers and would instantly know when he was enjoying himself….he’d be having this concoction of melted Philadelphia Cream Cheese mixed with Pace Picante and chips. Ick……

The rather substantial pool of oil at the bottom of the plate could either be an added treat or not…depending on your point of view.

Still, like I’ve said many times…there’s a big difference between “favorite” and “best” and I understand that. There are many reasons why folks hold a place close to their hearts and the food may not be the main reason(hey, I’m just as guilty). Based on the rapport between the two guys working on this day and the regulars, I’m thinking this is one of those places.

Carmen’s Mexican Food
4937 Diane Ave
San Diego, CA 92117

Harry D’z BBQ:

During one of the early days of the Morena’s Farmer’s Market…..having not been back in a while, I’m wondering if it still running? I passed a couple of weeks ago and na-da?? Anyway, it was getting close to evening and I hadn’t had lunch and this little stand looked interesting.

Actually, there should be some kind of law against sticking pork in front of a starving man’s face…..

So I decided on the pulled pork sandwich, which was a reasonable $6.50.

The pork was quite moist, but I had a hard time believing it was really smoked based on the mild flavor. The sauce was too sticky sweet and what seemed molasses heavy for me……

The Caliente Burger at Tommy’s:

**** This location of Tommy’s has closed

I’m not sure what it is about San Diego’s Tommy’s, but it just doesn’t seem to be the same as the Tommy’s back in LA…even the one in our old neighborhood. But there I was, standing in line at Sprouts and the two customers in front of me were going on and on about this “new” burger at Tommy’s that was “oh so good, but so spicy”. Now what kind of bonehead would actually go visit Tommy’s after overhearing two women talking about something “oh so good”??? Hello, I’m bonehead, nice to meet you……

The young lady at the counter was really friendly and told me that they top the chili burger with pickled cascabel chilies and chipotle cheddar. She was very nice and even gave me a little tray with some extra chilies in them. Funny, these reminded me of the bottled Del Monte Chilies I used to eat when I was a kid.

The burger was actually better then I had during my last visit, maybe five or so years ago now. The chilies weren’t really that hot. I’ve kind of noticed that the chili at this location is heading into two divergent directions….as it becomes more and more like refried bean glue in texture, the flavor becomes more watered down. Right now it just seems like heartburn fuel…..though I’ve only had heartburn once in my life(a funny story) and it wasn’t from Tommy’s

Serves me right to eavesdropping on folks in the grocery line……

Original Tommy’s
7415 Clairemont Mesa Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92111

So there you go….man, that’s more then enough calories and saturated fat…sheesh.

I think I’ll go and quietly have my plate lunch in the corner now.

Izzy’s Cafe-Breakfast (El Cajon)

January 19, 2013 Cathy American/New American Restaurants, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso!!! the food blog is here, where you are. Kirk and other friends write here. Cathy is writing today.

In an effort to keep with my New Year Resolution to patronize local businesses, Izzy's in nearby El Cajon is a natural choice for us. A Mom and Pop Diner that's filled with locals enjoying breakfasts and lunches and occasional dinners (on Thursday and Friday only) almost every day of the week. (Izzy's is closed on Sunday).

Located on the corner of Broadway at Crosby in nearby El Cajon, there is some parking in the lot behind the building, but if you spy a spot on the street, grab it. It's quite large inside and has a Patio area along the side of the building.

Uniquely decorated with memorabilia of all sorts, the seating is comfortable, service is efficient and everyone we have ever met here is friendly.

The condiments on the table should satisfy any craving. The coffee cups are random.

This was The Mister's breakfast one day- a massive (4 egg) fritatta, filled with his choice of fillings (sausage, mushrooms, and spinach)… An Italian omelet, baked in a that large pan shaped dish then topped with cheese and avocado – with a side of grits.

The fresh, fluffy-crisp homemade bisuits topped with homemade sausage gravy were an additional side we shared. We *really* like the biscuits with gravy here…

I ordered my usual of two eggs (poached) with bacon and rye toast.

Perfectly poached, fresh fresh orange yolked eggs. Comfort food and a great way to start the day.

Barbeque is the specialty here and is available as a breakfast meat (BBQ brisket, smoked carnitas, pulled pork), as well as in the lunches. On dinner days, racks of ribs (slow smoked) are available until they run out.

Izzy's Cafe 1252 Broadway El Cajon 92021 (619) 447-5067

Mon,Tues,Wed 7 a.m.-2 p.m. Thurs-Fri 7 am-8pm Sat 6am-2pm Closed Sunday.

Old Mill Cafe (North Park)

January 18, 2013 Cathy American/New American Restaurants, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso!!! -a blog. Kirk, ed(from Yuma), Vicky (SFBay area), Cathy and a few others contribute to this food centric online diary of sorts. Today, Cathy is blogging.

Long story short- while looking for a parking spot when going to a business on 30th street, we happened to turn onto Ohio Street and found one. Walking back to the car, saw this older looking restaurant and made a mental note to stop here one day.

That day finally arrived.

We got here after the lunch 'rush'. Over the holidays.

The decor is …neat and clean… in a 1970 sort of way. The mural of the Old Mill is on the wall to your left when you walk in. By the footprint, the building looks like it may have been a Ponderosa/Bonanza/buffet steakhouse at some point in time (like the 1970's). In any case, we were told to sit anywhere and did so and quickly the nice Waitress came over with menus, brought us water and coffee ($1.99).

I was happy to see that breakfast was served all day and ordered the machaca ($7.99) which seemed to be prepared just for me. The beef was chunky and moist, the peppers and onion were fresh/slightly raw and the eggs that were binding it all together had a lacy edge of crispness. The beans and the rice were better than usual (the rice must have been simmered in broth or stock, the cheese on top of the beans was plentiful and the beans must have been cooked in lard). This was a great meal.

The Mister's choice of pea soup was excellent. It had chunks of ham, was not overly salted and tasted very fresh.

Ahem. Yes, he ordered the Fish and Chips ($7.29, including the soup). Despite the looks of this plate, the fish was light and flaky and the coating on it was thin, crisp, not oily and had a nice flavor. The crinkly fries were also nicely crisp and not oily and the vegetables were not mushy. This meal oddly brought back fond memories…of the 70's…and comfort.

We will be going back and will order other items from the menu.

Your weekend is here, enjoy it!

Old Mill Cafe 3949 Ohio Street San Diego 92104 (619) 294-3804

To The Point-lunch

January 17, 2013 Cathy American/New American Restaurants, What Cathy Eats!

You are here at mmm-yoso!!!, the food blog. A few people write on this blog and today Cathy is writing about a recent nice day and meal.

It seems that The Mister and I have been busy almost every day since Halloween. One place we go to in December and January is Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery to see the Wreaths Across America.

2012 was the 21st year of the nationwide wreath distribution honoring of Veterans buried in military cemeteries across America. The wreaths are set up by volunteers by December 15 and will be taken down by volunteers on January 26. There is still time to see this small 'thank you' to our Veterans, done by this organization that has the motto "Remember. Honor. Teach."

On our way back toward the freeway, at the South East corner of Voltaire at Catalina Boulevard is this cottage-y looking restaurant, aptly named "To The Point". We've passed it many times, seeing people eating at tables out front on weekends and on this day decided to stop.

It's quite large inside…

and is decorated in a mismatched casual theme. We were greeted promptly by a nice Young Man, who offered us both the breakfast and lunch menus, which mention that the food is seasonal, local and sustainable.

As we were seated, we asked what the 'soup of the day' was and he went to the kitchen and brought us out small samples of the two available soups – a carrot ginger and a tomato basil and described the ingredients. Nice touch.

We ordered and were kind of overwhelmed by the beverage menu, so asked for 'plain' water and not long after, a refillable bottle of cucumber water and jelly jar glasses were brought to the table. Lunch soon followed.

The Mister's Cobb Sandwich ($8.50) on artisan French bread. Pan roasted turkey, (thick, flavorful, crispy) bacon, avocado, tomato, leaf lettuce, Blue Cheese: a salad in a sandwich. It comes with a choice of a 'gourmet side', so he chose the tomato soup. This was *really* good.

Here's a cross section view of this very filled -and filling- sandwich.

I ordered the Four Cheese Panini on multigrain bread. ($8.50) and chose the organic mixed green salad which was topped with crispy fried onions, included cucumber and tomatoes and had an oil and vinegar based dressing on the side. (See the water bottle and jelly jars?)

I don't remember the four cheeses, but the combination and meltiness was quite wonderful. Also in the sandwich were sauteed onions and mushrooms and tomato as well as fresh organic baby spinach.

The breads are from a local bakery, the meats, the vegetables – everything was so fresh…and I found out later that the beverages are interesting and wonderful and was told to try the fresh pressed apple juice and lavender mocha…which we will do next time.

To The Point 4161 Voltaire Street San Diego, Ca 92107 (619)226-6222 M-F 7 am -3 pm Sat-Sun 8 am-3 pm Website

Meals with Friends: Mariscos Godoy, Luce, and Roseville Cozinha

December 27, 2012 mmm-yoso American/New American Restaurants, Chicken Wings, Mexican Restaurants, Pizza, Pubs and Pub Grub, Seafood

As you can tell; I’m trying to get all these round-up type posts done before the end of the year. Of course, this is the time of year when folks get together and celebrate….here are a couple of “meals with friends” we’ve had recently.

Mariscos Godoy:

**** Mariscos Godoy has closed

What better place for a festive time with a group right? Mariscos Godoy is a great place to just get together and grub with friends….unless of course, there’s a major soccer game on…or when one of the bands are playing, which makes conversation impossible. On this night, we got both…..and the band even had a tuba player! yikes…..

Still, as you can see, we didn’t leave hungry……..

And I even forgot to take a photo of the pulpo…..

Mariscos Godoy
651 Palomar St
Chula Vista, CA 91911

Luce’s (again):

My buddy JohnL has moved back into the neighborhood. We decided to grab some drinks and felt that Luce was close by. Plus, I was really unimpressed with the food on our last visit. Well, at least the charcuterie board was decent…..

The wings on the other hand were totally one note in flavor….sweet, with not much else going for it.

The fries were ok….a bit mushy and dry, but flavored decently.

I like the friendly service and the small, but good beer list (and a mule or two). But is Bay Park so starved for a place like this, that there would be lines waiting outside on a cold evening? Well, I probably just answered my own question.

Luce Bar & Kitchen
1959 Morena Blvd
San Diego, CA 92110

Roseville Cozinha:

**** Roseville Cozinha has closed

One great thing about having a group gathered for a meal is that you get to try a bunch of things. We decided on a porcine party post mortem and Peter thought the newly opened Roseville Cozinha would be just the place.

There’s a a beautiful wood fired oven in the place and I think they are still fine tuning and getting the hang of beast. My favorite items were the “local Salumi Plate” and the Salt Cod Fritters. Roseville tips its hat to the Portuguese and Italian fishing communities which formed the backbone of the Point Loma area. I benefited with some nice bacalao fritters.

Compare this salumi with what Luce’s serves…..the price is pretty close as well. This wins hands down.

The wood oven roasted shrimp must have been good…..I never got a shot at it!

Ervilhas Stew…….good thing the Missus wasn’t here….that egg would have never lasted 5 seconds on the table.

Of course you need some greens……

My favorite pizza was the “Chef’s Special” a fresh clam pizza……

Fennel and sausage…..

Wild Mushroom…..

What a meal…….what a great time with good friends!

Roseville Cozinha
2750 Dewey Rd Suite 104 (Liberty Station)
San Diego, CA 92106

Retasting Bud’s Louisiana Cafe – Six and a half years and three locations later

December 17, 2012 mmm-yoso American/New American Restaurants, Cajun, Southern, and Soul Food, Seafood

Man, here's another one that really dates us……. I first posted on Bud's, when it was Bud's Louisiana Food Shoppe on Kettner back in August of 2006. We then visited a couple of itmes after they moved to Tierrasanta in August of 2008. We thought the food had slipped a bit and before we knew it, Bud's was gone…….

Only to find out that Bud's Cafe had reopened on a small side street of Balboa Avenue in an area that looked like a business park.

After the move to Tierrasanta, the hours had gotten a bit different, and here it was Monday and Tuesday, breakfast and lunch, 7am to 3pm. Wednesday thru Friday 7am to 9pm, and Saturday 12 noon to 9pm. Since I'm fairly close to the location, I decided on grabbing some lunch to see how things were at Bud's.

It's the same paintings and furniture, but for some reason, I liked it in this setting more. There's also a nice outdoor area, for those non-rainy, winter months. The menu looked pretty much the same and I've always enjoyed the option of a cup of gumbo or bisque to pair with a sandwich. So I went with something I hadn't had in a while, a cup of Jambalaya ($4).

This was better than I recalled; a nice tang, decent seasoning…..the food at Bud's has never struck me as spicy, so I didn't expect that. It was a decent bowl, even overcoming my dislike for converted rice.

I paired that with the New Orleans BBQ Shrimp Po' Boy ($9).

Bud'sRev 04

The sandwich came with some "by the book" Cajun seasoned fries. The bread was crusty and the shrimp was just plain perfectly sauteed. I had forgotten that Bud's tends to drench stuff with tartar sauce……the BBQ sauce wasn't particularly spicy and this isn't a "super stuffed" sandwich, but I wasn't expecting that. Not bad…..

My server was excellent, friendly, but not too buddy-buddy, efficient and professional. I thought the service was actually a notch above the food…..

I returned a couple of days later and ordered a Spicy Andouille Po Boy ($10).

The bread was again crusty, whole grain mustard went well with the sausage, which I was told was Comeaux's Andouille, a pretty well known brand out of Lafayette. The spices were nice, with a bit more ooomph then I expected. The only thing I didn't enjoy was the very tough casing of the sausage, which was really hard to bite through with pulling the whole darn thing out on your lap. Nitpicky perhaps, but overall a decent meal…..

I had mentioned having lunch at Bud's to the Missus. She was curious to see if the food had changed over the years……and I noticed that Bud's has a Happy Hour from Wednesdays through Fridays, from 3pm to 6pm. 15% off appetizers…..I thought some appetizers would be enough for a meal for me and since they also had the lunch/dinner menu, She went for the Crawfish Etouffe ($15).

This seemed a tad lighter (in a good way) then what we'd experienced at Bud's before, it was not as rich, but the great flavors of the shellfish base came through nicely. It was also devoid of the gummy textured, floury taste that sometimes came along with this pretty looking plate. The Missus thought the crawfish taste came through better as well.

I almost forgot about the Caesar Salad that came with the etouffe…….it was actually decent in size. But take a close look and you'll find that the romain lettuce is dripping wet. It hadn't been dried well after rinsing……watering things down.

The cup of Red Beans and Rice was a total fail for us. Other then the nice tasting Andouille, I really thought it second rate. First, there was a total lack of flavor in this….no beans, no spice, no smokiness. It was more watery then creamy, and the beans were tough….. I mean c'mon, this is something I make at home all the time. I know it can be done better…..

I was fascinated by the Creole Caviar, so of course I ordered it.

I loved the flavor of the "pate", a blend of shellfish base with shrimp, crawfish, the Cajun trinity….it was rich in a good way. The Missus didn't care for it at first, mostly because the "toasts" were a bit too buttery, taking the richness over the top for us, and making the dish a bit too salty. This would have been great with just plain bread ot toasts. It didn't seem like much, but sure filled us up. We'll have this again….though maybe order a baquette instead of the toasts.

Thinking that I hadn't had a fried item here, I ordered the Soft Shell Crab Appetizer, a simple floured and deep fried soft shell crab. First, I thought the tartar sauce in this case really helped the soft shell crab….the capers in the sauce did wonders, mainly because the flavor was pretty mild. We also didn't enjoy how this was fried….preferring light and crisp, over gummy and chewy. Sad, I'd always thought they did a good job of frying here….perhaps this is an aberration.

Dinner did seem a bit of a mixed bag, but we left in a positive state of mind. Service had been nice and professional, and though I've heard folks complain about the price to quantity ratio……I'd point to our $30 tab for two burgers we recently ordered at the bar, which was more expensive then this meal!

We'll probably be back in the near future….I still need to see if their gumbo and seafood bisque is still any good.

Bud's Louisiana Cafe
4320 Viewridge Ave
San Diego, CA 92123