Breakfasts and Brunch Sandwiches from Bay Park Coffee – and the “Uncle Kirk” Phenomenon

While I'm not the biggest fan of working from home (more on that in a future post); during the times that the Missus is working days it does allow me to watch Frankie. It also gives me an opportunity to support my favorite neighborhood places. Heading to the office around 5am had become quite a chore as the only places open for a cup o' joe during that time is the local Starbucks and 7/11….now if this was 7/11 in Japan that would be a different story. But, if I'm working from home, I can go ahead and grab some coffee from one of the various neighborhood places, Clairemont Coffee opens at 6 (I really need to do a post one of these days), Birdrock, which I save for the coffee snob, ummmm, the Missus and usually deliver Her pour over to work on weekends. And then there's Bay Park Coffee, which opens at 730 Mon- Sat and at 8 on Sundays…..which was kind of a bummer before; but these days; with so many people working from home….perhaps not so much.

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And BPC has done a nice job with the outdoor set-up; which transitions to al fresco dining for Poseidon Project at night.

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B BPC 02 B BPC 03 On a nice San Diego day, I'll see folks on their laptops doing work…..just like they used to do indoors before in the parklet.

My usual, as I noted before is the cold brew……I'll often drop by between meetings/calls for a "pick me up" and sometimes grab something simple to eat.

And of course, like I mentioned in a earlier post, there's "Bruddah Noel" who I've come to know…….he even introduced me to his wife who is from Japan. And all the wonderfully friendly and smiling faces of the folks who work there.

B BPC 05 B BPC 06 I will also sometimes avail myself of an item from the "kitchen" menu; though those items aren't served until after 8am. The items on the menu comes in handy when I have meetings around lunch and need to grab something to eat as BPC is a tad over five minutes away for me.

So here's a rundown of items I've tried during the pandemic.

I mentioned in my earlier post of not being a fan of the croissants; which are from Bread and Cie as it lacks the full butter-light saltiness and is more crisp than flakey….you know, the things we like in a croissant. Still, I have tried some of the items again. And even though the eggs and cheese will help camouflage the deficiencies, it's still leaves something to be desired in my opinion.

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B BPC 08
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And my verdict stands….perhaps folks will like these, it's just not for me.

BPC also now offers "sides" of egg, potatoes, and cheese……so you can get a fairly filling breakfast; of say…avocado toast (BPC loves their avocados) with a side of scrambled eggs.

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You may find the item I enjoy the most (to date) from BPC kind of strange……it's the Veggie Bagel Sandwich. I will get the plain bagel; which is from Nomad Donuts….I gotta check out their brick and mortar shop one of these days.

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The bagel has a light heft to it; mild yeastiness, a slight saltiness, a mild hint of sweet; but it's just the texture I enjoy with the greens, pickled onions…….light acidity from the tomatoes, creaminess from the avocado and they usually have a nice restrained hand with the cream cheese.

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I have tried other versions of the bagel sandwiches; Bruddah Noel had me try his "favorite"…….

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Which had ham, cheese, a huge portion of egg, pesto, and was just way too much……

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I also tried the Lox version.

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Which was not bad, though not something I'd have on a regular basis.

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B BPC 19 B BPC 20 And then there's the "Uncle Kirk" thing. Noel started calling me "Uncle Kirk" early on….which cracks me up, it's a well known term of endearment back home….. though my good friends, who are quite a bit younger than me (and not from Hawaii) started calling me that years ago; so it doesn't bother me at all. Though I'm not sure what the motivating factor is? Perhaps I'm like the crazy uncle everyone needs in their lives? Of course, these same people would not dare call the Missus "Auntie"……

So, now even a couple of folks at BPC call me that as well…..and once in a while, I'll even get a "little surprise" like on the cup of cold brew to the right.

Once as Noel called out "Uncle Kirk" when my cold brew was ready, one of the women waiting for her order asked me; "is he your nephew?" IMG_1309_02 To which I answered in a stage whisper, "ssshhh, he's illegitimate and twice removed….."

Well, if you'll indulge me one last story……my good friend "XJ" got married a couple of years back and requested that "Uncle Kirk" officiate their wedding. I was at first hesitant……quite terrified; but there was no way I could turn down such an honor. And things did turn out ok.

Though I've never told them; it's one of the high points of my life as I felt so privileged to participate.

Anyway, a couple of weeks later, I'm walking thru the parking lot at 99 Ranch Market when I hear, "Hi Uncle Kirk!!!!" and see a middle aged couple waving to me from an automobile. At first I didn't recognize the couple….then as I approached the vehicle…well, it was the Groom's Parents…….I had been introduced to them as "Uncle Kirk" and that's the way they knew me.

Life, ain't it amazing?

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Bay Park Coffee
4130 Napier St
San Diego, CA 92110
(619) 275-4000
Current Hours:
Mon – Sat 730am – 2pm
Sunday 8am – 2pm
Sandwiches served:
Mon – Thurs 8am – 1130am
Fri – Sun 8am – 1pm

Times “BC” (Before Covid) – Remember Brunches? Tribute Pizza, Nate’s Garden Grill, and Dan Diegos

The Missus and I aren't real breakfast/brunch kinda folks……especially the pancake/omelette/etc…… A simple croissant will often do. I know, the "most important meal of the day" and all that stuff. Still, breakfast will often make the Missus feel tired, lazy, and sluggish….so there's not much of that going on in our household. However, when we do want to have brunch (and then probably head back home for a nap) we enjoy something that's not quite conventional as you will soon see.

At the end of 2019 and during the beginning of 2020 I was starting to work on a collection of these brunches….and then Covid-19 hit. And who knows when we'll be happily munching and brunching away next? I was just going to delete these photos…..but since these places are still open for takeout; I thought why not just go ahead and do a "COMC" (Clearing Out the Memory Card) kind of post.

So here goes:

Tribute Pizza:

A favorite of the Missus had started serving brunch and we thought we'd try it out. And we really enjoyed it….this was our favorite of the four.

Brunch Tribute 03
Brunch Tribute 03
Brunch Tribute 03 IMG_2997The Missus loved that kale with pesto, that I started making a similar item that's a staple for the Missus's lunches. (Photo on the right)

We really enjoyed this brunch. We haven't been to Tribute since the pandemic started, but will hopefully rectify things soon.

I'm hoping when the pandemic is resolved they start up brunch again.

Tribute Pizza
3077 N Park Way
San Diego, CA 92104
(619) 450-4505
Takeout Hours:
Mon – Wed 4pm – 8pm
Thurs     4pm – 9pm
Friday    1pm – 9pm
Saturday  12pm – 9pm
Sunday    12pm – 8pm

Nate's Garden Grill:

I've enjoyed my breakfasts at Nate's.

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I think I mostly enjoy the vibe and setting…..

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The brunches have always been quite rustic and hearty.

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IMG_4839 IMG_4843And I believe they are doing brunch for takeout on Saturdays and Sundays from 9am – 3pm

Nate's Garden Grill
3120 Euclid Ave
San Diego, CA 92105
(619) 546-7700
Takeout Hours:
Wed – Fri  1130am – 8pm
Saturday   9am – 3pm, 4pm – 8pm
Sunday     9am – 3pm
Currently Closed on Mondays and Tuesdays

Dan Diegos:

And here's one from my 'hood. I hadn't been in a while.

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Man, this was soooo much food…..

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Brunch Dan Diego 02

And that huge bowl of gravy went straight to my arteries.

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So, of course the fruit bowl made me feel much better……right?

Brunch Dan Diego 05

Really nice folks here. More about diner/pub grub and portions….but every once in a while….

No longer serving brunch, but open for takeout.

Dan Diegos Pub
2415 Morena Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92110
Current Takeout Hours:
Mon – Thurs 330pm – 930pm
Fri – Sun   1pm – 930pm

So there you go….one from the memory card. Who knows when we'll be brunching again. And even though it's never been a priority for us…..I do miss it.

 

 

Stuttgart – Weingut Franz Keller, Breakfast, and You Know Where We’re Headed Next, Right?

After dinner at Alte Kanzlei we headed back to the hotel. We took the "scenic" route, passing thru Schlossplatz once again. It was nice to see folks out and about…..everyone socializing (before Covid-19 of course), no one glued to their smartphone.

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The "Golden Hour" was fast approaching and the square took on a different look in the light of fading afternoon

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We decided to sit at one of the benches for a few minutes to just watch folks coming, going, and some were having a drink too!

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We walked on over to the Neues Schloss and it looked quite stunning at this time of the day.

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After which we headed back down Königstrasse……

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And took a quick look at the Hauptbahnhof; the train station which was basically right across the street from our hotel.

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As we were about to head into the hotel, the Missus and I spotted the external entry to the hotel restaurant…….there was a wine bar named Weingut Franz Keller next to the restaurant.

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IMG_1244 IMG_7769During our trip the previous winter, the Missus developed a fondness for the wines of Alsace and She was curious if She's enjoy German Rieslings and Muskats as well.

The prices were nice for half-pours, the wines aren't a sweet as American Rieslings, it was a nice digestif stop for us, as we had two glasses each.

The young man who Served us was so sweet, very kind, friendly…..a really nice guy and made the whole experience fun.

Weingut Franz Keller
Schillerstrasse 23
Stuttgart, Germany

Our train the next morning wasn't until almost 11am….so, we could sleep in…….which we kind of did. We usually wake quite early when travelling….well, check that, I wake early all gthe time these days. Our room had a nice view of the park next to the hotel.

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Since we wouldn't be getting into our next stop until after 2pm; we decided to take advantage of the hotel buffet breakfast.

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Which, like most buffet breakfasts in Europe was actually not too bad.

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And after heading back to our room…where I actually took a perfect 20 minute nap, we were soon enough heading to our next stop; to the Missus's favorite city. You know where right?

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Thanks for stopping by!

Golden Bagel Cafe (El Cajon)

After 23 years, Golden Bagel Cafe has closed, a great loss.  It will be missed.  Cheers Deli remains open (but does not have bagels).

mmm-yoso!!! is being written by Cathy today; Kirk is still on a vacation with His Missus.

The Mister and I have tried to avoid patronizing chain businesses during this time of COVID-19 and lockdown.  The Golden Bagel, located at the intersection of Navajo and Fletcher Parkway, in El Cajon (right on the border of La Mesa) is locally owned and prides itself on fresh made, preservative free items.  It is a sister store of Cheers Deli which has been in business for 20+ years  and is located about a mile west. (I know, I have to do a post) 42898097-859B-4703-9983-0F72AFD321654CC11041-3C86-48D7-9D63-3D4A67562EFA
4CC11041-3C86-48D7-9D63-3D4A67562EFA Stepping inside, the selection of bagels (25 flavors) is good in the early morning.  There are a variety of beverages available (although many opt for the Starbucks next door). There is plenty of out front seating.  Here's a quick sampling of some of our breakfasts here.
4CC11041-3C86-48D7-9D63-3D4A67562EFA Pumpernickel bagel with cream cheese ($2.99)  You can taste the rye flour in this bagel and it is so very fresh and bright.10010391-A8A9-44EB-A503-4A7A13A110EE On the right here is a bialy- a baked bread (the bagels here are water boiled) topped with poppy seeds and onion.  A lighter, softer (yet chewy) bread, I like the differences between a bialy and a bagel.  Toasted and buttered is a wonderful treat.186F71FD-C353-4095-A06B-AA4F1A7610BB The cheese topped bagel is also a favorite  (with butter, $1.99).
4CC11041-3C86-48D7-9D63-3D4A67562EFA Ham and cheddar with avocado and tomato on an everything, open face. ($8.99  plus $1 for the avocado=$9.99; we went for it).  There is a choice of cheeses, the avocado made this kind of perfect.  Open face, warm and melted- shareable! (The open face sandwiches cost more than a regular bagel sandwich.  You can see each half is substantial).

33DBDEA7-A365-49D8-91AD-EBDE73A94BB3 The open face smoked salmon ($11.99) (of course on pumpernickel) .  Pacific Northwest Smoked salmon (lox), cream cheese, tomatoes, lettuce, red onion, dill and capers (and a slice of a really good pickle).  Quality as well as quantity; more than enough to share.

There are wraps, focaccia, pizza melts, salads…a nice menu.  Always nice people work here.  We had always passed by and are so glad we have finally stopped (and stopped in again and again!)

Golden Bagel Cafe 2744 Fletcher Parkway El Cajon 92020 Open Mon-Sat 6 a.m.-5 p.m. Sun 7 a.m.-3 p.m. (619) 464-2243 Website

Arely (one more time, eating outdoors)

mmm-yoso!!! is a food blog.  Usually Kirk writes here, but he is taking a short vacation with His Missus.  Cathy is writing today.

In this time of COVID-19, everything has changed.  Although I haven't written about Arely since 2017, The Mister and I have dropped in pretty regularly.  84567496-9C73-41A2-B494-72E6ADA0F925_1_201_a
84567496-9C73-41A2-B494-72E6ADA0F925There is seating out front as well as indoors.  When you order and pay, the table where you will be seated is noted and food will be brought to you.F4F5C616-F4E5-4155-8B0F-4CFF6D68B8D6The strawberry cream cheese stuffed French Toast (a white board special, $8.95) is wonderful.  The cream cheese melted inside the middle of the thick sliced egg and cinnamon battered bread; the fresh strawberries on top added enough sweetness (it did not need the accompanying 'breakfast syrup').FB1E3354-4FBC-465F-9873-C6D797576115 BCC01D7D-3B21-4BFA-9223-3A1B39A3A690
BCC01D7D-3B21-4BFA-9223-3A1B39A3A690The Arely Scramble ($12.95) is served on top of a toasted English muffin.  The eggs are scrambled with a lot of bacon. There is sliced avocado and the freshly made hollandaise, which  was almost-but not quite- breaking (either the egg yolks were too hot or there was too much butter, darn it!). The bites of this were kind of perfect.

84567496-9C73-41A2-B494-72E6ADA0F925 We usually always order the French onion soup when here for lunch.  It is flavorful and the broth is not salty.  The melted cheese and crunch of French bread/'crouton' make it perfect, even though eating out of a reusable bowl is different. D2BE4B32-671A-4AD0-AF63-D515EFD6AF21A slice of quiche is accompanied by a small salad and some slices of baguette. This is ham and cheese and there are many chunks of ham, a great custard (with a slight nutmeg flavor) and plenty of cheese.  
D2BE4B32-671A-4AD0-AF63-D515EFD6AF21 F1C37DC3-ED39-44E5-94D0-D120EA43B80A The chicken Florentine (mushroom-spinach) crepe ($10.25) was covered in a delightful cream sauce which went well with the 
CC9C6F7B-C8BD-4F90-97CC-06FFD42E6394 accompanying side of home potatoes.  Bell pepper and onion and crispy browned potato chunks made for a good leftover portion.D2BE4B32-671A-4AD0-AF63-D515EFD6AF21 We can't resist ordering some sort of sweet from the bakery counter.  The fresh made (still warm) almond croissant is always a good choice. 

Still going strong after all these years and during COVID-19 times. A great neighborhood bakery cafe.

Arely French Bakery 4961 Clairmont Drive San Diego 92117 (619) 270-1910 Currently Open Monday 7 a.m.-4 p.m., Tues-Sat 7 a.m.-8 p.m., Sun 7:30 a.m.-7 p.m.

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Bonny’s Cafe (El Cajon) revisits (Breakfast and Lunch)

Kirk is busy at work and mmm-yoso!!! is being written by Cathy today.

I wrote about Bonny's Cafe in 2018. This Mom and Pop East County Diner which serves breakfast and lunch has been around now for more than 25 years.  818A4786-AB5E-4A51-9A07-057291A99207 The interior is quite large with tables, booths and a sizable counter/bar stool area.E93FE2C6-AFD2-49A3-9FBB-833F8AB14687There are white boards with Specials listed at both doors (there is a large parking lot next door (opposite the Veterinary Hospital side) with a back entrance next to the Tatoo Parlor).  This was the order of banana walnut pancakes ($6.95) add bacon and eggs ($3.25). The fluffy with crisp-edged, buttermilk cakes were wonderfully flavored-and even better topped with the fresh bananas and walnuts.  The eggs were perfectly poached and the bacon added a good salty bite.  Yes, that's some 'would you also like some whipped cream?' in the soup cup.
E93FE2C6-AFD2-49A3-9FBB-833F8AB14687 0ECF1859-F31F-420A-AC40-BE0F367656A8The Breakfast sausage croissant with a side of cottage cheese ($10.95) is large, hearty and very tasty. There were leftovers to take home. 
 26583164-C4C8-48B7-B019-94F209E4DC07 D8D755C4-9FFB-4EFA-A837-0BDC3DA21B68 Dropping in for lunch, I couldn't decide and ordered that way- Soup, salad and a half sandwich ($10.50). That's really the charge for a half sandwich and a choice of two sides.  Side choices are (in addition to the soup and salad): slaw, steak fries, waffle fries, Cajun fries, onion rings, cottage cheese and potato salad. There were several soups available and I chose Navy Bean; a wonderful version is made here. The Mister and I each had a house salad, His with Blue Cheese and mine with Thousand Island.  
26583164-C4C8-48B7-B019-94F209E4DC07 527DD63D-DB22-45F1-9760-25316475A868The tuna salad sandwich is made on grilled sourdough bread with American Cheese and a tomato.  The tuna salad itself is simple and made with sweet relish.  The dill pickle along with the sour, crispy, buttery grilled bread added the right amount of salty to the meal. 
26583164-C4C8-48B7-B019-94F209E4DC07This is why we are here for lunch.  A proper Monte Cristo.  ($11.95) F49FE34E-0E8D-4F98-B758-493A89BAA5DC The three slices of bread, with the center slice separating Ham and Swiss from the Turkey with Swiss, quartered, battered and flash fried then sprinkled with powdered sugar and served with strawberry preserves is the way a Monte Cristo should be prepared; not half battered and fried then cut-less area to soak up the custard, leaving the bread a bit dry.  This is an absolutely wonderful, memory inducing sandwich.

Always a great stop with friendly servers and great food, Diner Style.

Bonny's Cafe 596 Broadway El Cajon 92021 CLOSED TUESDAYS, otherwise Open Wed-Mon 7 a.m.-2 p.m. (619)579-3464

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El Huevo Estrellado (Chula Vista)

Here's another mmm-yoso!!! post about food, written by Cathy while Kirk and His Missus are enjoying a little vacation elsewhere. 

As The Mister and I tend to do, driving and stopping and not researching ahead of time lead us to this lovely Taco Shop down the street from the bakery where we ordered our Rosca de Reyes for 2020 (photo of the Rosca at the bottom of this post).1E90B0AA-2456-4C35-8738-FE72A0BBCDA8 DA334E3A-8F76-47AE-AD3F-27D7F1FAA5FC We were at the corner of Broadway and Naples and stopped at the signal light, saw the signage and turned into the parking lot.
6C61F291-5F66-466C-B0D1-13A75D3AE4D9 Stepping inside the storefront at the far end, we noticed a second room of tables was available (the 'addition' is new and can accommodate about 30 people) and were told to 'sit anywhere'.  A two sided menu was brought over.D0414DA5-7224-42ED-8EBE-F4C3A1672A03D0414DA5-7224-42ED-8EBE-F4C3A1672A03
29DB9690-5781-489E-898D-0DC07D9A0589Fresh chips and a good, house made, medium heat salsa was also brought out.
1E90B0AA-2456-4C35-8738-FE72A0BBCDA8 The Mister immediately honed in on #23, Chile Relleño with shrimp on top ($14.50). (We asked and the menu is served all day).  A wonderful Oaxaca cheese filled mild poblano, dipped in egg white then fried is under the plump, large shrimp and topped with a wonderful garlic-y green salsa. Every bite of this plate was wonderful.
 336F5A65-A8D8-46DE-9A18-DCCE9295D101 Since the name of this Taco Shop has 'huevos' in it, I felt the need to try an egg/breakfast dish.  Chilaquiles ($10.99) just sounded right.  There was an option of red, green or mole sauce with the chips and I opted for the red because The Mister had ordered green sauce.  

This was a "proper" plate of chilaquiles- tortillas fried then placed in the sauce (not tortilla chips, which are thin and already fried) with the eggs on the side.  So very good.  The beans and rice were just so much better here than elsewhere.  

We are already planning what we want to order on our next visit. Mary and Jake were here in 2017!

El Huevo Estrellado  1096 Broadway (at Naples) Chula Vista 91911 (619)498-1286 Open Daily 7:30 a.m.-9 p.m.

Our Rosca for 2020 was purchased at Sweet bakery Mexico Lindo 66745384-D8E3-495E-BE0F-A18D13A4F661
66745384-D8E3-495E-BE0F-A18D13A4F661 The Rosca was filled with a wonderful custard/cream and much more interesting to eat this while taking down the Christmas decor on the 12th Night following the holiday.

Sweet Bakery Mexico Lindo 212 Broadway (at E Street) Chula Vista 91911 Open Sun-Thurs 10 a.m.-8 p.m., Fri-Sat 8-8 

Home Sweet Home Cafe (Escondido)

This is a food blog named mmm-yoso!!! Kirk usually writes here, but is busy navigating various forms of transportation in Europe while vacationing.  Cathy is writing a short post today.

I've often said that everyone has two 'go-to' places to eat a quick meal; one near home and one near work.  Usually those places involve fast food or chains but sometimes the 'near work' choices are even more limited to food trucks or an obscure, long time hole-in-the-wall eatery on a side street in a commercial area of town.914CA8BF-8C7F-4670-BC0F-238E862FEE68 After driving through the Escondido "Mile of Cars", continuing North into the area with all the various businesses located in large industrial buildings (even some repurposed quonset huts), there it is. The name and ownership changed in 2010 but it's been a breakfast-lunch restaurant for more than 20 years.  
914CA8BF-8C7F-4670-BC0F-238E862FEE68There's a 12 seat counter area and two rooms of tables. None of the coffee cups match, there are quirky signs (as well as anything with "Home Sweet Home" imprinted), the tables have advertising for neighboring businesses embedded in the tops (tables were made by a neighboring business).  There is some holiday decor.  I think we interacted with each of the friendly waitresses (who greet 'regulars' by their first name).  A calm, familiar, cozy place.
914CA8BF-8C7F-4670-BC0F-238E862FEE68 The Mister tried the "Devon" Benedict ($11.50)- corned beef hash topped with poached eggs topped with Hollandaise sauce, all on top of a toasted English muffin.  He chose home fries on the side.  Not fancy, but very good.  The hash was plentiful, probably from a can (the diced potatoes were a bit too perfect), the Hollandaise was house made, but didn't have lemon in it (I notice stuff like that).  The potatoes were fried to a crisp edge with creaminess in the center, along with the bell peppers and onions.
914CA8BF-8C7F-4670-BC0F-238E862FEE68 I decided to try the 'French Toast Special' ($11) with three halves of French toast. Ignore the color; it is not burned.  I was asked if I wanted cinnamon on my toast and I asked for it to be on two of the three halves.  The bread was eggy and soft on the inside with the exterior just the right amount of light crisp.  The over-easy eggs were perfectly runny and I had a choice of bacon or sausage links or a sausage patty…oh yes, an excellent sausage patty. 

A great find. Breakfast and lunch are served all day.

Home Sweet Home Cafe 662 Enterprise Street Escondido, CA 92029 (760) 743-2233 Open Mon-Fri 5 a.m.-2 p.m., Sat 5 a.m.-1 p.m., Sun 7 a.m.-1 p.m.
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Sunday Stuffs – the “My ‘Hood Edition: It’s Chef Jun Sushi and Kappo, Breakfast at Bay Park Coffee, and Spam at Poseidon Project

So, here's a few updates and other "stuffs" in our neighborhood.

It's really Chef Jun Sushi and Kappo:

So, as "Friend of Yoso FOY" Derek, mentions in the comments of my earlier post; Chef Jun is a Sushi and supposedly "kappo", which I'm assuming really stretches the definition, style restaurant. So says the sign which I saw this past Saturday.

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Okay……I'm not sure why I feel kind of disappointed……

4033 Avati Dr
San Diego, CA 92117

Breakfast at Bay Park Coffee:

So, Noel from Bay Park Coffee apparently reads this blog….and gave me a bit of grief about my post. Which I stand by. The croissant from Bread and Cie, works best when the lack of butter, salt, and sweetness is supplanted with eggs, ham, and cheese. The flakiness of said "faux croissant" works well with this.

BP Coffee Rev 01 BP Coffee Rev 02And is a nice breakfast sandwich.

Though, like I told Noel…."I'll know when you've got some influence when I see a Spam, egg, and cheese croissant"…..

Bay Park Coffee
4130 Napier St
San Diego, CA 92110

And Speaking of Spam….and Pizza – the Poseidon Project:

So, I don't really mention the Poseidon Project much. But, over the last couple of years, they've become my "pau hana time" choice…..I usually visit twice a week. About two years ago, they added a pizza oven and have been making pizzas.

While the woodfired pies there won't make me forget Tribute or even Bruno's, it's a nice neighborhood place. And then there's a pie called the "hot honey", that has a sweet and (very) mildly spicy sauce that's made with soppressata. I felt that it would really taste great with Spam®. Nate, the owner always wrinkled his nose at the thought of Spam®. But, Chris one of the pizza guys, made us a pie……..we provided the Spam® singles……

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Man, this was good…..the salty-savory, well caramelized Spam® (Chris – you are the man!), with the mildly sweet-spicy hot honey….. Even Nate, who hadn't ever had Spam® before thought it "was pretty good"….in other words….it was delici-yoso…..

And of course…..no bogus pineapple…….

Poseidon Project
4126 Napier St
San Diego, CA 92110

2020 Tournament of Roses Rose Parade Road Test #4, Breakfast at Burger Depot (La Puente)

mmm-yoso!!!, a blog about interesting meals and how said meals came to be. Today, Cathy is writing; Kirk is exhausted with work.

Link to 2020 Road test #1 

Link to 2020 Road Test #2

Link to 2020 Road Test #3

Link to 200 Road Tests #5 and #6

Another Road Test weekend for the floats participating in the 2020 Tournament of Roses Rose Parade.  The Mister and I woke at 4, left home at 5, drove through on and off light rain to Tustin for some snacks at the Kolache Factory then headed to Irwindale to the Phoenix Decorating Company to watch floats for the Rose Parade being tested along Ornelas Street. 

IMG_9844 "Plant a Garden, Believe in Tomorrow" presented by Mrs. Meyer's Clean Day. Mrs. Meyer's makes household cleaners with scents inspired by a backyard midwest garden. IMG_9878IMG_9950The white 'outline' on the float resembles the outline on the label of each of the Mrs. Meyer's products. The flowers -both the sunflowers at the back and the roses along the sides- are animated and will be tilting (and smiling) along the parade route. 
IMG_9844It looks like the City of Hope float will simply have the same title, going along with the "Power of Hope" theme of the parade. 
IMG_9844 Fullsizeoutput_cf1Here is progression of construction of the float "Cultivating Curiosity" presented by The Huntington, a Pasadena Library, Art Museum and Botanical Gardens celebrating its 100th year in 2020.  Ed (from Yuma) and Tina enjoyed a lovely tea and visit here in 2014.
IMG_9844The Royal Court (which will be announced on Monday September 30) will be riding on this float during the Parade.  The Court serves as year round ambassadors for the Tournament and each member receives a small ($7500) education scholarship. Follow The Rose Examiner for more information about the Royal Court and other information about the Tournament activities. 
IMG_9844 IMG_9856The Shriners float and the United Sikh Mission also had their floats tested this day.  IMG_9857 IMG_9861The float barn is filling up!  22 of the 44 floats in the parade will be constructed here. 

The Mister and I headed home down Vincent Street, one block East of Irwindale Avenue.  We passed a few places that looked interesting.  Vincent turns into S. Glendora Avenue which then turns into N. Hacienda Boulevard. There's a five way signal light at the triangle corner of  N. Hacienda and N. Unruh.  Look at those signs.  Look at the shape of the building.  You know we had to stop. 

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IMG_9914 IMG_9910The menu, above and on the counter by the order and pay register, isn't too overwhelming. 
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You can watch your food being cooked in a non-hipster open kitchen concept.  It's brought out to your table.
IMG_9914 IMG_9909 The chicken breast and eggs breakfast ($7.55) comes with flat-top crisped potatoes and toast. The eggs were over easy (even that broken one still oozed yolk), the chicken was moist and tasty. A great, healthy breakfast.  
IMG_9914Chilaquiles ($7.99) were made to order (I saw fresh tortillas being grilled up before being drowned in the home made, chile de arbol based sauce (spicy!)).  Topped with perfect over easy eggs with sides of refried beans (also made here; many were whole) and more crunchy potatoes.  We are going to return to try hamburgers here, since the name is Hamburger Depot. They are probably pretty good. 

Hamburger Depot 1169 N. Hacienda Blvd. La Puente, CA 91744 (626) 917-1872

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