American/New American Restaurants – Page 40

Karl Strauss Brewery Gardens (Sorrento Valley)-lunch

December 30, 2011 Cathy American/New American Restaurants, What Cathy Eats!

Thanks for stopping by our blog, mmm-yoso!!! Kirk and ed (from Yuma) are taking time off from posting and Cathy is writing today.

This month of December has been particularly busy for me (and The Mister) with some sort of appointment, meeting or party on the schedule every day. I have taken a lot of photos of all the meals we have enjoyed and will eventually share all of them with you.

We were 'up North', in Sorrento Valley, the other day and instead of going to our usual Opera Patisserie for lunch, we went North at the intersection of Mira Mesa Boulevard and Scranton Road and followed the signs to the parking lot of Karl Strauss Brewery Gardens.

This is one of the entrances from the parking lot. We followed a winding path and soon saw the restaurant and were quickly seated. This is a rather plain view of the beautiful wood interior, but the glass wall next to us revealed

the peaceful pond, with many waterfalls and Asian inspired theme.

The one page descriptive menu was brought out and our waiter described the fresh beer available that day.

The Mister ordered a Russian Imperial Stout ($5.95) and it was served in this beautiful glass. Since I was driving, I ordered water, but did have a sip of the stout and it was really good; it had a chocolate-malt flavor.

The Mister chose beer battered fish and chips ($14.95) as his meal. The menu had shown several choices of french fries as appetizer choices(garlic, chili lime as well as 'sweet and stinky') and he was not asked as to a flavor preference and (fortunately) these were plain fries, cooked to a nice crisp and unseasoned. The beer batter on the seasoned Alaska cod was light and fluffy and fried just right- not greasy. This was accompanied by a lemon caper remoulade (not tartar sauce) which was very complimentary. A fresh made broccoli slaw(which was really good except for the addition of some really hot red onions) completed the plate.

I decided to try the 'special appetizer plate' as my main. The charcuterie ($12.95) was quite large and filling. Three meats- in the center a smoked, cured ham- delicately thin sliced yet enough smoking to allow you to taste smoke and salty ham. The fancy cut at 11 o'clock is an aged Sopressota salami-not very strong in flavor at all; it needed the fresh made beer whole grain mustard sauce you see next to the slice of Cambozola cheese to bring out some flavor. I also used some of the fresh pine-nutty arugula pesto you see under the bread and it complimented the meat. The pepper-infused Mailander salami had a lot of flavor on its own and I ate it with some of the crostini- and the apple-fig chutney, which was perfect on its own or with a bite of meat. The combinations of sweet, spicy, smokey and savory made this plate an excellent lunch.

When we finished, we walked the path around the building and grounds before going back to the parking lot. There were some water features in this oasis in the middle of all the office buildings in this part of town. We want to go back to try more of the menu. There are lunch specials (called "Daily Brews" on the menu) Monday-Friday, which cost a bit less and are most likely just as good as the food we got.

Karl Strauss Sorrento Mesa 9675 Scranton Road San Diego 92126 (858) 587-2739 Website

Istanbul: Bosphorus Ferry Tour, Balik Ekmek, Yeni Camii, and Hotel Djem

December 22, 2011 mmm-yoso American/New American Restaurants, Istanbul, Travel, Turkey, Turkish Food

After a fairly hectic couple of days in Cappadocia we caught our flight back to Istanbul. We'd be staying one night then heading onward to Athens and Crete. By this time we had the metro and tram system pretty much down pat and made it to Sulthanmet Park and got out and made our way to the Hotel Djem, which is located across the park and the Hippodrome on the opposite side from our previous hotel. We enjoyed this hotel so much that we decided to make it our base for the rest of our time in Istanbul. Walking out into the street, you can see the back of the Blue Mosque rising into the air….there's something so exotic and exciting about Istanbul.

When we arrived the first thing the manager did was offer us tea while he checked on our reservation. The moment he found our reservation he told us to have some breakfast….and typical of Turkey, it was quite a spread.

There was a little guy who worked the breakfast buffet who was constantly in motion….he seemed to always be on a mission of sorts. Watching him work kept us entertained during our breakfasts.

We loved the gentleman who managed the place…when he found out we'd be leaving early the next morning, before breakfast service, he asked, well more like told us that we'd need something to eat…so they would have something ready for us if we wanted. We told him yogurt and some fruit would be perfectly fine….you gotta love Turkey!

While the Missus was freshening up, I asked the young man about cruises on the Bosphorus…….and really appreciated his honest advice. "You just arrived today and are perhaps a bit tired. Personally, I would just take one of the more inexpensive two hour cruises, the all day ones are a bit long……and after a while, all the buildings will start looking the same. You will stop enjoying it." We took his advice…… He would be our best source during our stays in Istanbul.

We caught the tram down to Eminonu as it started to drizzle and looked over a couple of the cruises near the Galata Bridge which I posted on before.

As we boarded it started raining a bit harder…..it was also fairly cold. The chestnut dude was doing great business though!

Here's what the regular ferryboats look like.

It turned out that two hours was just about the right amount of time for us. Here are some of the sights.

Üsküdar the Asian side of Istanbul.

The beautiful Ortaköy Mosque.

The gentleman at the hotel was right….by the time we hit Rumeli Hisari we had peaked and had our fill……though the cruise really highlighted how little we saw of Istanbul during our trip.

There was one thing that kept us form getting bored though….it was this lovely couple…..

Both were middle-aged. Neither sported wedding rings. The gentleman sported a very serious and conservative suit. The woman wore…well, I mostly remember her for the pointy tipped shoes like we saw in the souvenir shops. Both acted like teenagers in love. As the woman walked to the back of the cabin the gentleman trailed her filming her every move. In fact, he filmed just about every move she took. Once, I thought she had her fill and walked out of the cabin….but no, she was just stepping outside so she could do poses right out the window…..yep, you guessed it, just so the guy could film it! It almost seemed like something out of a comedy. It kept our attention for most of the return trip……it was sweet, cute, hilarious, and just plain bizarre all at the same time.

All along the area around the Galata Bridge are boats selling Balik Ekmek, the famous fish sandwich.

The boats have grills installed on them which already gets your attention, but many have eye-catching…well, almost gaudy design and ornamentation. Some of the hawkers even dress up in what I can only guess is Ottoman style garb…all the while yelling out "BAAaaaa-Liiiik". There's an area where several of the boats gather that have a fairly nice looking dining area set-up.

I walked on over and really didn't like the smell of the fish so I passed.

However, as we got off our boat, I noticed this little boat doing some serious business.

So I decided to try one….you can't beat the price, 2.5 TRY, about $1.25! This being Turkey, the sandwich had quite a bit of bread.

I made a mistake when I first got my sandwich; I had a taste of just the fish, undoubtedly mackerel,which tasted just plain fishy and off. Ick. However, when nestled in the bread, the pungency of the onions helped to cut the fishiness and oil. It tasted much better, but I didn't enjoy the aftertaste…it was not among my favorites from this trip. In fact, I'd take "fish curd" and even "fish poo" (fish preserved in it's own intestinal scrapings) that I had in Laos over this any day of the week.

As we walked to the underground crosswalk I saw the infamous mussel vendor. But after my Balik Ekmek I decided to pass…..

Whenever you're near the Galata Bridge, you can't help but notice the wonderful looking mosque across the street, next to the Spice Market.

The name of the mosque is Yeni Camii, "New Mosque", though it ain't that new being built in the 17th century.

In fact, the Spice Market was built as part of the mosque complex to create revenue for the mosque.

We had heard that the Mosque is quite beautiful and though we passed by several times it was suaully around one of the calls to prayer. We wanted to be respectful and not intrude…so perhaps next time.

There are women selling bird seed to feed the thousands of pigeons that flock around the mosque.

On one afternoon, we saw these men performing Wudu the sacred wash before prayers.

We walked back to our warm and dry room at the Hotel Djem, in need of a shower…..

And perhaps a nap…….

Man, did we love this hotel…….

Carnitas’ Snack Shack

December 21, 2011 mmm-yoso American/New American Restaurants

**** This location of Carnitas' Snack Shack has closed

I first heard about this place from FOY (Friend of Yoso) Candice, who mentioned that Hans Cavin was opening a pork-centric farm to table shop in the spot that used to house Vo's at the end of the strip of University I call the "dead zone"….. Now I'm not really a chef groupie, as a whole I really don't follow much of who's cooking where and think that folks are sometimes more interested in the personality than what they're consuming, though who's cooking what sometimes catches my attention. Chef Cavin used to head up the kitchen at Kensington Grill, where the Missus and I had some good meals in the past. Combined with a pork theme (the shop is named after Carvin's pet pig…Carnitas) and a very casual easy to handle menu, how could I not want to check the place out?

I do love what they've done with the al fresco eating space in back of the place; which I found warm (literally so with the heaters on) and inviting.

It looks like a nice neighborhood place for sucking down some saturated fat, especially once the weather heads toward spring and summer.

The menu changes from time to time, though I'm thinking that some of the core dishes will probably be the same. Prices are on the low end for farm-to-table joints, so meat-huggers will love this place. And there was even a vegetarian offering as well.

Of course I could not resist the Pork Belly ($7):

It was a nice slab of belly with a frisee-apple salad as a counter-point. The pork had a nice crust and though it was a tad more chewy than I prefer, it was still nicely done. The glaze, which I didn't find very spicy, has a fruity component which is teeth rattling sweet eaten solo, but actually complemented the pork nicely. The frisee and apple I found too tannic and puckery for my taste. I realize that one would need something to cut the sweet-richness but it was just too much, sending me on this rather unpleasant rollercoater ride……

Having had it a couple of times North of the border, I love poutine. Here ($7) it is seasoned fries topped with pulled pork, a Vermont Cheddar gravy, crowned with a really, really, delicious julienne of bacon.

For me, this was a case of the parts being much more tasty than the sum. The pulled pork itself was very tender with a mild smoke flavor that is completely overwhelmed by the cheese in the sauce…which had attained a glue like texture by the time it hit the table. The fries were nice, but the seasoning just added more interference to the dish and combined with the cheese in the gravy made this pretty salty as a whole. Having bacon just made this a bit too over the top for me…..

I will say that the dishes didn't make me feel like I needed a shower or anything, so that's a good thing. The portions aren't humongous, though that pork belly was more than enough for me.

The woman manning the front counter, whom I believe is Sara, Carvin's partner in the shack, was a joy. I would suggest checking them out, though you may want to go when they open as the place seems to fill up quickly.

Carnitas' Snack Shack
2632 University Avenue
San Diego, CA 92104

Hours: Wed – Mon 12pm – 12am

Rose Parade 2012 float decorating and Plate 38-Pasadena

December 12, 2011 Cathy American/New American Restaurants, Festivals & Events, Los Angeles County, Road Trip, What Cathy Eats!, yoso-silly

Welcome back to mmm–yoso!!! the food blog. It's the time if year filled with many holidays and Kirk, ed (from Yuma) and Cathy have been busy with activities other than eating. Cathy is posting about one of her busy days.

Hi. This past Saturday began with a 4 a.m. wake up and quick cooked breakfast.

Ham and cheese inside the flat omelet, sauteed spinach and mushrooms and crispy fried Bacon SPAM along with the only coffee I had that day.

It was still dark and the moon was beginning to eclipse when The Mister and I hit the road.

Soon, the sun was coming up, the moon had disappeared and we were passing giant Manger scenes along Interstate 5, the "General Hospital" building and got to Pasadena, finding a parking spot on the street, behind a Tournament of Roses vehicle.

We were at the Rose Palace, 30 minutes before our volunteer time was to start with our group, the Petal Pushers, which coordinates over 5,000 volunteers each year. There were many groups meeting this day to help decorate floats which were designed in February, when the theme of this 2012 Rose Parade was chosen- "Just Imagine". It was 42º outside and chillier inside. We were told to wear warm clothing that we were not afraid to get dirty. I wore three tshirts and an XL sweatshirt. As did most everyone else. This was a "Dry Decorating Day"- the fresh flowers won't go on the floats until 3 days before the parade on January 2, 2012. In other Rose Parade float posts, I've shown you how every visible part of the floats must be covered in living or previously alive materials. These dry decorating days are just as, if not more, important for the complete float to be built.

The assignments for Petal Pushers were given. We work on a few different floats in this barn, with various duties. Some people cut the purple petals off of these beautiful Statice flowers. All day. At the end of the day, all the five gallon buckets were empty-after being refilled one time- and the amount of flower petals gathered was less than one five gallon container.

One friendly couple were given the assignment of breaking down redwood bark- over the 8 hours they were given about 12 six foot long pieces of just bark,

which they shredded down into manageable thin pieces to be glued onto the HGTV float. They filled at least five of the large boxes and too many to count of the smaller one for volunteers to use to cover the trunks and branches on all the pine trees on this float, which has a replica of the HGTV Dream Home that somebody will win next year. In the background of the above photo, the young ladies are gluing bulghur wheat or some grain material onto the window frames. The spaces between the wood planks of the exterior have been filled with glued on poppy seeds.

You can see some of the glued on bark at the base of this pine tree. The tree is lying in the position it will collapse to during the parade- when the float passes under street and signal lights.

That box in front has a few poppy seeds left over. The HGTV home was built inside this barn and lifted onto the float 'body'. It is unusual to have such a structure on a float, since it is so heavy, but they wanted to build an accurate replica for this, their second float in the Rose Parade. HGTV will be doing a special before the Rose Parade showing how a float is built. It should be interesting.

You'll see this elk on the HGTV float, because he is on the 'camera side' of the float. Right now he is only partially covered in dry material. The undersides of the pine trees are covered in glued on dried parsley.

These powerful blenders are used to pulverize many of the flower petals so the powder can be glued onto some of the pieces of floats…

Like the giant flowers which will surround the Lions Club International float, "A World at Peace".

The 100th Anniversary of Loyola Marymount University will be celebrated with this tall(see the steeple in the back ?) float which is using the more blue-colored flower petals of the Statice flowers. It will have real palm leaves attached to the wires on those palm trees.

The back of the Shriners Hospital float looks like it has chickens exploding in the exhaust

which is coming from the bear-driven airplane. It's titled "Soaring for Kids".

The City of Los Angeles float has a few ancient creatures, with their textured skin made more visible with all sorts of beans. It honors the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County with the title "Dinosaurs in LA's Backyard"

There were a lot of volunteers working on the City of Glendale float, "Just Imagine the Music, Fun and Freedom"

The Lutheran Hour Float, in its 63rd appearance in the Rose Parade, is as detailed in the back as it is from the front. (Do you see two volunteers in this photo?)

The Farmers Insurance Group float looks like a giant game of "Mousetrap" and is called "The Unimaginable"

This is the back of the Odd Fellows and Rebekahs float "Shining Knights Still Exist".

At almost 5 p.m., we left. You can see the Sierra Madre Mountains and sunset in the distance…and the volunteers from the schools waiting for their buses to pick them up. There were more than 300 volunteers this eight hour day.

If you'd like to see artist's renderings of all the Phoenix Decorating floats, click on this link. There are a total of 55 floats in the 2012 Rose Parade and Phoenix is one of three companies which made them.

Anyhow, it was a LONG day and The Mister and I started driving through Pasadena looking for a place to have dinner (we brought lunch with ourselves; I did not take photos). We ended up on Colorado Boulevard

We were stopped at the signal light on Colorado at Sierra Madre and the side of this building on the Northeast corner had a sign about 'proudly serving Peets coffee'. We figured it was a Breakfast-Lunch-Dinner place and pulled into the parking lot.

Looking in the front door, it seemed Plate 38 does take out also. There were fresh, house made pastries in that display case.

We found a seat on the other side of the Christmas tree and admired the beautiful, solid wood table. We noticed the menu noted the food was made with local ingredients, no preservatives, organic fresh baked goods and also microbrews and Napa wines were offered.

The below photo turned out particularly blurry; I must have somehow channeled my exhaustion through to my iPhone and both photos of this same dish were just not good.

It is the Fritto Misto appetizer plate, which I chose to be my main dish. Quite large (it was at least 8×8 inches square) and filled with perfectly fried lightly breaded calamari rings, butterflied large shrimp and artichoke hearts and zucchini (both yellow and green), topped with a handful of mache lettuce and with a side of fresh made, wonderful lemon caper aioli, this was a perfect meal for me. The bonus was that since it was an appetizer, and between 4:30 and 6:00 p.m., the price was $2 off. Regularly $11, the $9 price tag was very much worth it.

The Mister ordered garlic marinated skirt steak plate ($18). The meat was tender and flavorful, not overpowering. The 'gravy' was a brandy peppercorn sauce. The fresh asparagus was not overcooked and had a nice crunch to it, I think it was braised in olive oil…the thin cut garlic fries were not overpowering and crispy, but not over-fried.

All in all we would like to come back to Plate 38 and try their other menu items. You can see the menu on the link below. For an all locally sourced, preservative free and organic baked goods, Plate 38 offers an excellent Return of Investment for your money. If you happen to be in this part of town. We will return. Maybe on a day when we aren't working and are all sawdust covered…

Tournament of Roses website

Phoenix Decorating Company website

Petal Pushers volunteer decorating information website (I just got an email- they still need volunteers for this Saturday (December 17) and from Dec 26-Jan 1)

Plate 38 2361 East Colorado Boulevard (at Sierra Madre) Pasadena 91107 (626) 793-7100 Sun-Th 7 am-10 pm, Fri-Sat 8 am-1am Monday 8 am-3:30 pm website

La Mesa Bistro and Bakery- a revisit

November 30, 2011 Cathy American/New American Restaurants, What Cathy Eats!

Hello. You are reading mmm-yoso!!!, a food-centric blog. Kirk and ed(from Yuma) are not blogging today, and Cathy is.

Are you still trying to find a 'normal' way of doing things? With the return to Daylight Savings, and darkness upon us at 5 p.m. combined with the short work week and long weekend and having to catch up with everything…and neighbors putting out Christmas decorations along with the receipt of three Christmas cards in the mail, I feel very discombobulated. Having a nice lunch in a quiet neighborhood helps to sort of return to 'normal', or at least feel that way for a moment. I posted about breakfast at La Mesa Bistro and Bakery last October, and promised to follow up with a lunch post. Quick like a bunny, here's that post.

Still nestled in the far corner of an "L" shaped mall on La Mesa Boulevard at Glen Street, one signal light South from Jackson Drive (the next block over from the BMW repair shop, if you have had to go there), La Mesa Bistro and Bakery has established itself as a regular Breakfast and Lunch spot in this quiet part of town.

It's a place where you order, pay and find a seat. You get a number and food is brought to your table, in this room, an adjoining room or the outside patio. We usually grab a menu and sit down then go back up and order since there are also a few Chalkboard Specials which tend to tempt us and we tend to change our mind as to what we were planning to order. But we usually come with it is not crowded here. On weekends, there is a line waiting to just walk inside to pay. As you can see, there are ten hot pots of regular and two hot pots of decaf coffee to choose from. There are also smoothies and espresso beverages offered. Water is also self serve here. Quite a few people order a coffee or tea and bakery item to go some mornings. But, again, we were here for lunch.

Since the restaurant is open from 6-3, breakfast is served all day on weekdays, so the table condiments are reflective of all the possible choices.

I ordered a Reuben sandwich($6.99), because I was craving both sauerkraut and the rye bread baked here. As you can see, two cheeses and a lot of thin but not too thin sliced corned beef on the grilled, seeded rye bread. I did choose cottage cheese instead of fries, knowing The Mister was getting fries with his lunch choice.

Yes, a Chili Size ($7.99). Basically an open face half pound burger, topped with chili. Both The Mister and I grew up eating Chili Size with knife and fork, not lettuce or tomato. Anyhow, The Mister tried to assemble this like a regular burger, picked it up for one bite, then cut it up to eat. The burger was done to a light medium, not quite medium rare, very juicy. The bun was lightly toasted and very fresh(baked here). The coarse meat grind makes a very good burger. The chili, made the way we like it, is without beans and had a nice spicy 'kick'. (The fries here are season-salted and very good).

La Mesa Bistro and Bakery is a good place for breakfast and lunch; its just down the road from Grossmont Mall, Grossmont Hospital and the La Mesa Trader Joe's.

La Mesa Bistro and Bakery 8697 La Mesa Boulevard La Mesa 91941 (619)589-0806 Open seven days 6:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m. website

Slaters 50/50

November 8, 2011 mmm-yoso American/New American Restaurants, Burgers

**** Slater’s Has Closed

How’s that for an attention grabber? Actually, I’d heard about Slaters from “DB from the OC” who kept on emailing me about having to check out Slaters in Anaheim Hills several times over a year ago. Sending me link after link of reviews……I had thoughts in my head that perhaps DB was a shill for Slaters and had pretty much made up my mind never to go there….I hate shills. Though after giving it some thought I believed it was rather unlikely, since DB had also sent me some pretty nasty emails after I did posts on places like The Waterfront and such. After reading through those emails I suddenly realized that DB was what I call a “meat-hugger”, you know what I mean right? No commodity meat, grass fed beef only, etc, etc, etc….. Now I’ve been eating grass fed beef for years, we used to get it at the various local Farmer’s Markets long before it became a supposed sign of status to the food god. After realizing this, I shot DB an email regarding his “sin” and hypocrisy and never heard a thing from him/her…..until a couple months back when I received an email with a link to a press release announcing Slaters 50/50 was opening a branch here at Liberty Station. And after giving it some thought, after all, this was the burger that made a “meat-hugger” go rogue……

And even though I usually wait a while after a business opens to visit, just like DB broke his meat-hugging ways, I could break this one, right? Slaters is located right around the corner from Con Pane. I didn’t notice the place at first until I saw the banner….

You enter through the gated area facing the parking lot and can sit either at the bar or have a seat at the dining area. Slaters is very “sports-barish”, they’ve got a televisions hanging everywhere, so if you have a need to watch a dozen of your favorite games at once, this might be just your thing.

They’ve also got a pretty good collection of beers on tap……I saw stuff by Ballast Point and Stone among the many offerings.

I was handed three menus. A breakfast menu, thus no beer, even though it must’ve been noon somewhere in the world, a regular menu with salads, Irish Quesadilla(?), among the various appetizers, sandwiches, and burgers, including the 50/50…..

The third item was a sheet where you could design your own burger, looking very similar to The Counter. Naturally, I decided on designing my own 50/50, to get a taste of the patty. But, if you’re in the mood, you can get everything from cranberry sauce, fried pickles, to anchovies and peanut butter and jelly (hmmm sounds like a second trimester special to me…)

I also made the big mistake of ordering some sides, they range in price from $3.95 (Fries) to $5.95 for Panko Fried Mac n’ Cheese (yikes!). You can order combinations of sides from two to six. I chose some beer battered onion strings and fried artichoke hearts to make a two item combination for $5.95. My mistake? Not realizing how much food this was……..

The fried artichoke hearts were kind of soggy and very mild. I’d eaten a couple before a light mayo based sauce was dropped off for them at my table. It really did nothing for the ‘chokes. However, as a counter-point, the Missus loved the stuff I brought home, which was most of this…….cold and soggy and She still enjoyed them. The onion rings were better, crisp if on the greasy side. The ketchup I believe is house made, and has a strange almost bacon like flavor to them as well???? Anyway, this was enough for two people easy…..

I ordered possibly the simplest of burgers, a one-third pound 50/50, medium, with no cheese, baby greens, red onions, tomatoes, and (I couldn’t help myself) garlic aioli. It soon became obvious that this place loves vertical food that’s a bit top-heavy…..

I was fairly impressed when I cut my burger in half….it was medium! Hallelujah! Even places that insist on telling you that “our burgers are cooked medium, blah, blah, blah”, don’t seem to get it right, but this place, home of the “Peanut Butter and Jealousy” burger can? The actual patty is pretty loose and chewy. There is that background mild savory-smokey flavor associated with bacon….you know it’s there, but it doesn’t interfere. The brioche bun held together well…..and in the end, I only could eat half. I brought it home and the Missus ate most of the rest….She kinda liked it, so even though I still like the Counter more, I think we’ll be back again soon. Maybe I’ll have a bacon-infused shake so I can have a double whammy…lactose intolerance with clogged arteries….

You gotta hand it to Scott Slater, San Diego State grad and founder of Slaters. I think they’ve got a pretty good, albeit over-the-top-belongs-on-one-of-those-food-shows formula. Since the place had just opened I expected a bunch of mistakes, but the only one was not getting my sauces for my artichokes and I wouldn’t have known if I’d never gotten it. The service looked a bit disorganized, but they were staffed really well. I could have gone without being asked how my meal was five times…three times by the same guy, but at least I got to tell them my burger was cooked to my liking. I’m pretty sure this place is going to take off fairly quickly……heck if it could make an elitist “meat-hugger” fall off the wagon….. oh, and Loren, you can stop emailing me about this place as well now, ok? Thanks for the suggestion(s).

Slaters 50/50
2750 Dewey Road
San Diego, CA 92106

Fish Boutique. It is-A boutique, selling and serving fish.

November 3, 2011 Cathy American/New American Restaurants, European Restaurants, Seafood

Fish Boutique has closed

mmm-yoso!!! is a food blog. Writers of this blog include Kirk, ed (from Yuma) and Cathy, among others. The guys are both busy with jobs and such. Cathy has time to blog.

Boutique- a French word for "shop", a Greek word for "storehouse". Usually associated with clothing or such, but since I am literal, those definitions make perfect sense for a place which sells and stores fish, with the bonus of serving meals…'Bistro' is so overused. When I saw the "Fish Boutique" in the Trader Joe's mall in Mira Mesa (just next to Stone Flats) one morning when we were going to 'just get milk' (the euphemism we use when we know we will be spending at least $20)…

I knew I needed to walk up to see what I could see:

A menu on the door. Not inexpensive, not overly extensive, but descriptive and tasty to my brain.

A fish counter…actually two- there is another one to the right, with a take out menu above it. Apparently they serve and sell wine.

A relatively small, un-fussy, bistro-like eating area. The fish counter area is to the right, at the other doorway.

I later learned the owner calls the food here "European modern" and that is an accurate description.

The two areas are separated by the black beaded curtain-you can see the other fish counter in this photo.

We wanted to try 'basics' on our first visit. Fish and chips ($9.50). The fish was flaky, very fresh cod, breaded in a crispy, panko/bread crumb batter (not beer batter) and served with house made smoked ketchup, cocktail sauce, lemony tartar sauce and pepper seasoned shoestring fries. An unusually high end preparation for a more or less 'common' entree. We really enjoyed this.

I ordered the sauteed shrimp sandwich($9.50)- served on a ciabatta roll.

Yes. Six very large, fresh sauteed butterflied shrimp, served on the soft yet hearty roll, topped with goat cheese and balsamic vinegar…and underneath those shrimp- thick pecan smoked bacon slices and mixed lettuces. This was heaven. I took bite with the bread, but ate the rest as a sort of salad meal. It was that good.

Of course, after coming home, we found a two for one coupon and I went back and ordered from the take out area.

Two slices of the crabmeat-spinach quiche. ($4…would be $4 each without the coupon; worth the $4 each price)

This was made of hand picked (none of that pasturized, canned stuff here) crabmeat- both King and Snow Crabs are used. The crust, as you can see, is hand made. The quiche was excellent-filled with crabmeat, spinach and a delightful custard-cheese (and nutmeg?) base. I served one half piece to each of us as a side with a steak meal at home. It could have been a meal in itself. We had to split the other piece for breakfast the next morning and I wanted more…

The fresh fish prices are good, considering the fish is fresh daily…and daily add-on a piece of cooked fish to a salad prices are posted on the door (skate was $6 the other day). As I said, not inexpensive but very much worth it. The chef, the waiters, everyone working here are very knowledgeable and helpful. Excellent European Modern food in an unexpected location.

Fish Boutique 9844 Hibert Street San Diego 92131 (858) 481-0505

Tender Greens- and a Point Loma visit

August 30, 2011 Cathy American/New American Restaurants, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso!!! It's a food blog. Kirk is having internet problems, ed(from Yuma) is busy with coursework starting, so today, it's Cathy blogging.

Hi again. It was yet another day of walking for The Mister and I, this time with a glorious view of San Diego with the Bay, the Navy Submarine base and Naval Air Station Coronado…

All a magnificent view from Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery. A very serene, cool walk on one of the days when the temperatures in East County were almost unbearable.

As we drove down the hill, The Mister and I were thinking of what we wanted for dinner. The idea of going home to cook was daunting and since we were in the area, we decided to stop at Tender Greens.
The unassuming exterior belies the wonderful meals to be found inside. I have posted about Tender Greens on one occasion and mentioned another visit in the middle of one post.
The menu is right above where you order…

You'll give your name and walk along a glassed kitchen prep area, seeing all the ingredients and watching your order being assembled…
The in House made charcuterie, fresh figs…
roasted vegetables,
The various proteins offered. At the end of the walk is the cash register where you can also order a desert and get your beverages and your order, all presented on a jelly roll pan which is your tray…you find a seat and can enjoy your meal.
We decided to share a bowl of rustic chicken soup ($4) Mostly dark chicken meat (the flavorful stuff) and a myriad of vegetables- the bowl was packed with potato, squash, carrot, onion, fresh herbs- lemon thyme is so complimentary. Always a good bowl of soup.

The Mister decided to try the Craft salad ($10.50), there were six slices of the house made salumi, Feta cheese, roasted peppers, olives, pickled onions, pickles, capers mixed in the 'young lettuce all erfectly mixed with the right amount of Cabernet vinaigrette.

I decided to try the 'Happy Vegan" this time.($10.50) What a wonderful choice! The greens were topped with a lemon vinaigrette and the scoops of salads, each with its own flavor, were individually wonderful- From the right- A farro/spelt/wheat grain mixed with dried cranberries and hazelnuts tasted rich and had a nice 'tooth'. The green hummus was fresh and had an underlying green onion flavor. The third is mostly red quinoa (you can see the quinoa 'tails' in the photo) mixed with cucumber and yellow beets and tasted creamy. The tabbouleh all the way on the left was a wonderful bulghur and had peppermint as it's green, making it sweet (to me).

The combination of vegan tastes was perfect and the overall salad was filling and refreshing, not at all what I expected vegan food to be. I want to try other vegan meals now.

Tender Greens 2400 Historic Decatur Road, inside the old Naval Training Center/Liberty Station San Diego 92106 (619) 226-6254 Website

Cafe Cabaret- a coffee shop with food.

August 29, 2011 Cathy American/New American Restaurants, Caffeine Fix, Vegetarian and Vegan Restaurants, What Cathy Eats!

Hi. You are back at mmm-yoso!!!, possibly a bookmark on your Tool Bar, or perhaps you got here by Googling. In any case, Kirk and ed(from Yuma) are not blogging today, Cathy is.

The other Friday, again after one of our walks around a body of water…

Lake Murray on this day…

The Mister and I started driving and somehow got to Adams Avenue. We saw this sign. I rounded the block and parked.

It was the "French Crepes" sign which attracted me, because I still hadn't had any since my quest for crepes went unrequited a few weeks ago…

However, just the beverage menu here was filled with choices and when we saw menu items (sandwiches, salads, kabobs), breakfast items(omelets, scrambles, waffles, pancakes, French Toast) and some of the daily chalkboard specials, the crepe was soon forgotten and we ordered, paid and found a place to sit.

An outdoors-brought-inside decor with many tables inside the building as well as on the patio, apparently offering free wi-fi and community setting, we felt comfortable here.

The nice young lady who took our order brought out the regular coffee we had ordered. I found out the owners are Ethiopian, explaining some of the menu items. {Yes. Too many beverage choices has me wanting to see if a place can make a regular cup of coffee. (Cafe Cabaret can.)}
The Mister had ordered the Vegetable samosas, a light snack ($4.99) which came with a salsa dip as well as a yougurt sauce and some carrots and cucumbers.

These pockets of just baked flaky triangle shaped dough were filled with a delightful blend of peas, lentils, potatoes, carrots, spinach, tomatoes, onions, perfectly seasoned with cumin and coriander.
I ordered the chalkboard special falafel sandwich, which came with salad, hummus and whole wheat pita ($4.99). The salad dressing was a raspberry vinaigrette and the dipping sauce was yogurt based. The fresh hummus was topped with a nice-hot Harissa sauce. The falafel inside the wheat wrap were probably made from a dry mix, had and interesting garlic flavor on their own and were cold (!) inside the wrap filled with lettuces, onion, tomato and cucumber accompanied by a sauce which seemed to be a mix of the yogurt and harissa. There was a lot of falafel in the sandwich and the meal was quite filling and very tasty, although I ended up using all of the other sauces on the table and not the raspberry salad dressing for the salad- it tasted too sweet to me.

This was another lucky find for us. We'll stop by when we are in the area again.

Cafe Cabaret 3739 Adams Avenue San Diego 92116 (619)284-1819 Open 6:30-10 p.m. 7 days. Breakfast 7 a.m.-1 p.m. Website

Roasties-Breakfast in UTC

August 18, 2011 Cathy American/New American Restaurants, Breakfast/Brunch, What Cathy Eats!

Roasties has closed

You're here, mmm-yoso!!!, the food blog. Kirk usually blogs, ed(from Yuma) sometimes blogs and today, Cathy is blogging.

The other morning, after our walk, The Mister and I drove West in hopes of finding less sun. We were thinking of breakfast at Wired Bistro and as we walked toward it, were looked at the closed and new (to us) places in the Renaissance Center (just Southeast of UTC mall).

Wired is to the left in this photo (the faded red umbrellas cover the tables in front) and by the green awnings to the right-

we saw this blue awning with breakfast advertised. We looked at the menu in the window then decided to try the food here.

There is plenty of outdoor seating (this location used to be a pretty busy crowded breakfast and lunch place called Le Peep). We decided to eat inside; it was a weekday morning and not crowded. The menu had some interesting choices and I went went the two eggs any style and chose seared ahi as the protein ($7.95) this comes with a choice of toast and potato choices or fruit. (I have chosen fish as a breakfast protein for another breakfast you know).

Of course, the style of eggs I chose were poached (done nicely) and rye/pumpernickle toast was also a natural choice. I was being good and ordered fruit (since The Mister ordered the Roasties potatoes). The ahi was moist and flavorful without needing any additions. I guess the bonus piece was a just because or to make up weight, but the large piece was substantial. The toast was good when warm, with a nice rye flavor, but when it cooled it got to a weird light crispiness. Not complaining, just noticing. If the same bread is used as a choice for sandwiches, I'd ask it not be toasted. Oh, every piece of fruit (strawberries, cantaloupe, watermelon, grapes and melon) was wonderfully flavorful…all at their peak. {we asked for the Coffee Mate coffee lightener product instead of half and half for the morning coffee}

The Mister chose a make your own omelette/scramble ($6.95), opting for the omelette with chicken (the place is called Roasties, and there is rotisserie chicken on the menu), Feta and broccoli. It was the rotisserie'd chicken- there was some skin…great flavor. The Feta gave it all a nice saltiness and the broccoli was just steamed and a nice crunch. He also got the Roasties potatoes- roasted with herbs(there was Rosemary and definitely pepper in the mix) and squaw wheat toast, which suffered the same after-toasting cool down crispiness…however had a definite molasses flavor in the bread. It's a good bread which for some reason did not hold up to toasting…

A nice find. Roasties is open from 7-4, has rotissiere chicken, sandwiches, salads and smoothies and is advertised on its menu as a Locally Owned Family Restaurant. The owner is part of a California Restaurant Family and lives in La Jolla. There is online ordering and a cash register next to the serve yourself beverage area for pick ups.

Roasties 8915 University Center Drive 92122 (858) 412-0785 Website