Breakfast/Brunch – Page 19

Rose Donuts (near USD) Revisit

April 6, 2017 Cathy Bakery, Breakfast/Brunch, Sandwiches, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso!!! is back, with Cathy writing because Kirk is too busy to write and Ed (from Yuma) is too exhausted to write.

I posted about Rose Donuts almost three years ago and despite visiting here multiple times in the interim, just didn't bother posting again. (That post was primarily written to focus on the exclusive item sold here, a blueberry fritter, which has, sadly, been discontinued). Since I had a wonderful breakfast sandwich at Winchell's, I thought a few posts focusing on breakfast sandwiches at donut places would be a good topic, especially since that's been my latest way of getting breakfast.

This location, on the South East corner of Linda Vista Road at Napa, is open 24/7 and is family run.

The menu has remained the same (other than periodic price increases) with croissants, bagels and toasted bread being the choices for sandwiches and a 'combo' including a beverage and a donut or six donut holes.

Here's a turkey, egg and cheese on wheat toast ($5.65/$7.15) which can be good any time of the day. It also appears to be a bit healthier than other choices. However, the "Southern"- a croissant filled with ham, egg and cheese (two types) ($5.05/$6.55) is so tasty! The "Sunrise"-egg and cheese on wheat ($5.05/$6.55) is basic, simple and just a very good sandwich.The "Sunshine"- a croissant with ham, bacon, egg and cheese ($5.05/$6.55) is simply decadent and a wonderful way to start the day. Here is part of a combo enjoyed one morning. The raised donuts are so very good here.The buttermilk old fashioned donut is also delightful in its cake-like texture.

Rose Donuts 5201 Linda Vista Road San Diego, CA 92110 (619)294-8856 open 24/7

Winchell’s Donuts- quick breakfast

April 3, 2017 Cathy Breakfast/Brunch

Thanks for stopping by to read this food blog, named mmm-yoso!!! Kirk is almost ready to write again, Ed (from Yuma) is still dealing with computer problems and Cathy is writing today's post.

The other morning, I had to leave before eating breakfast and, after my appointment, decided to stop at the convenient corner location of Winchell's in National City. It's open 24 hours, 7 days a week. Winchell's Donuts first opened in Temple City, CA on October 8, 1948 and is the West Coast's largest donut chain with over 170 locations in six states, as well as in Guam and Saipan. The locations around San Diego are franchises, usually run by families.

There is always a good choice of warm, fresh donuts available ('Warm 'n Fresh' is trademarked by Winchells) as well as a variety of other baked goods and beverage choices available. Also on the menu board (and advertised on the windows out front) are sandwiches. I ordered a bacon/egg/cheddar sandwich on a croissant ($4.49) (could have also had it on a bagel) a small cup of coffee ($1.59) and a donut ($1.09) The coffee was very good; it's a special blend made for Winchell's. Arabica beans. The sandwich was quite good; egg was fluffy and light, the cheese was real cheddar. The bacon was thin, but added a nice flavor. The croissant was, of course, fresh and warm. All in all a nice, quick meal.

Winchell's over 170 locations Locator link Website

Breakfasts of Champions – Revisits to Hinotez and Aqui es Texcoco

March 19, 2017 mmm-yoso Breakfast/Brunch, Japanese Restaurants, Mexican Restaurants

When the Missus asks to go to breakfast on the weekend; She doesn't mean pancakes and eggs. No, She wants something from, say Zarlitos or Fernandez Catering. It's nice to have access to a bit of variety around these parts. Here are a couple of places I've posted on many times before.

Hinotez:

It took a while to talk the Missus into having breakfast with me at Hinotez. But memories of "Japanese Breakfast" in Japan finally made Her give in. I've already gone into what a simple breakfast of natto, egg, and rice means to me. And while Hinotez no longer serves the simple "Basic Breakfast"……you now have to get a bunch of proteins and the natto, egg, and tororo are add-ons, kind of a bummer, this is the only place you'll get something close to Japanese breakfast in San Diego. And only on Saturday and Sunday.

This ends up being a bit too much food and just like in Miyajima, we just head back to bed afterwards. Also, we've learned to request "half-rice" with this as well.

Anyway, it basically is all about the natto and rice thing….though I got beef and chicken karaage. The beef was tender and there were no complaints. The karaage was fine; crisp and nicely flavored…..but in a real amateur move, they had cut one of the pieces in half to check doneness.

Still, this brings back memories of places like Yaesu Hatsufuji.

Hinotez
7947 Balboa Ave
San Diego, CA 92111

Aqui es Texcoco:

A big favorite of the Missus, she loves the Plato Azteca here….and always gets an order of beans to go. Go figure.

I'd never had the Sopes, so I thought I'd give it a try. It was very good; the combination of lamb and beans just went together well. The rustic thick corn base was also texturally pleasant.

The light milky-tanginess of the cheese helped cut through the richness….though I gotta say this is pretty heavy stuff. I was stuffed after one and a half.

Even the Café Olla didn't help.

The Missus got a Quesataco with Flor de Calabaza, which was very crunchy - creamy, but a bit too salty for me, which basically muted all the other flavors. And of course the Plato Azteca, which I've posted on a good number of times Like always it's huitlacoche and flor de calabaza. She also loves the leftovers as there's no way She can finish all of this.

Aqui Es Texcoco
1043 Broadway
Chula Vista, CA 91911

And then the best part…….because we're able to do this on weekends I don't have to go into work…..it's time to roll back into bed!

Sunday Sandwiches – Revisits to Best Donuts, Grab n’ Go, and Lit’l Pepper Gourmet

March 12, 2017 mmm-yoso Breakfast/Brunch, Sandwiches

Having a crazy schedule means that sometimes all I'm able to do is grab a sandwich, at sometimes a rather odd hour, on the way to the office.

Here are a bunch of revisits.

Best Donuts:

**** Best Donuts is now Barrio Donas

A stop for me when I'm getting to work on the earlier side; like 0530 – 0545. They keep changing the signage in the place, but at least the A la Mexicana, while now a dollar more expensive ($4.99), is still a nice early breakfast option.

A nice, rather light bolillo roll; eggs, salsa, a smear of beans….some jalapenos for a mild kick, melted cheese. Warm and not too filling….I don't want to need a nap when I've just gotten into the office.

I prefer the A la Mexicana to the Chorizo and Eggs, which started nice, but just got monotonous after a while.

Maybe too much of the same flavor.

Still, a nice early breakfast stop.

Best Donuts Bakery & Deli
4714 Clairemont Mesa Blvd
San Diego, CA 92117

Grab & Go – Convoy Court:

While I've had my share of sloppy sandwiches from here. I enjoy the yeasty bread and have gravitated to the "hot" sandwiches. Toasted, sandwiches like the Spicy Cappocolla and the Grilled Cheese Feta.

Crusty bread, a healthy dose of pepperocinis, onions, tomatoes, perhaps a bit too much shredded lettuce, and nicely melted, milky and salty feta. Still, it the bread that makes this machine go.

It does help that they open fairly early.

Grab & Go
7701 Convoy Ct
San Diego, CA 92111

Lit’l Pepper Gourmet:

Another place that opens pretty early….like 5am or something like that. The sandwiches here are huge and some of the "specials", as I noted in my previous post are a bit over-the-top. I had Lit'l Pepper cater two of my meetings….no one in either meeting finished an entire sandwich.

During one recent "off-hour" visit, I noticed they had a "Cubano" ($9.75) on the menu. So I ordered it.

As expected, this was a pretty hefty sandwich. Not a fan of the roll they used on this. I'd like something lighter…..not sure that exists in the LPG handbook though. Basically a modified pulled pork sandwich. A bit too much of a good thing, though the ham cut right through the pork and the pickles were nice; wish I could make out more of the milkiness of the cheese and I'm nto a fan of jalapenos on this one.

Still, I was able to share with someone else in the office. So we got two meals for the price of one. Maybe I should be like "Sandy" and stick with their "Classic" sandwiches. Curiosity gets the better of me it seems.

Lit’l Pepper Gourmet
8911 Complex Dr
San Diego, CA 92123

Kyoto – A Return to Kiyomizu-dera and “Morning Service”

March 11, 2017 mmm-yoso Breakfast/Brunch, Japan, Kyoto, Travel

After having a fun evening with Kat and Satoshi we got up fairly early and headed out. The Missus wanted to revisit Kiyomizu-dera to check out the fall colors. We got on the Keihan Line and got off at Kiyomizu-Gojo. The Missus was up for walking all the way up to the temple. But I had already done that the last time and I talked Her into taking a cab! Whew…..

We decided to check out a few areas we missed the last time we visited.

We headed to the Jishu Shrine, which is dedicated to Ōkuninushi, a gentle-hearted god, who along being "in charge" of farming and business, is the prime deity of match-making.

Here we found the "Love Stones"……you can read all about it….

The stones are actually set about 10-15 meters apart. If walk from one to the other with your eyes closed, you'll find true love…..miss…and "sorry Charlie".

Two young ladies actually tried when we were there…..to rather humorous results. I'm kind of relieved the Missus didn't try. With Her sense of direction, I'd probably go up in a puff of smoke!

Speaking of true love….check out this affectionate little guy.

He is truly a pampered pooch……

The main reason folks come to Kiyomizu-dera is for the view. Man, the main viewing hall was a lot more packed than the last time we were here.

The views, whether from the Main Hall or along the trail are quite beautiful.

We meandered along, stopping now and then to take a photo. We'd been here before and it seemed so familiar. And yet, we were able to stop at places that were quite busy the last time around. Like the Three Story Pagoda. I think folks were focused on the views and I don' blame them in the least.

Even with all the folks around us; there's a sense of tranquility.

You get to appreciate the beauty of it all.

Soon enough, buses of non-Japanese visitors started arriving and the noise level started increasing. It was time to head on out.

Just as on our previous visit, we headed back via the side streets of Sannenzaka and Nannenzaka. There's always something interesting to see…..

On this day, there were a couple of wedding photo shoots going on…. This one went for a more dramatic, glamorous look.

While this couple and their photographer were really friendly and nice.

And when I went a displayed my camera, even flashed nice smiles for us. It was adorable.

We headed on back to Shijo-dori. There was some shopping the Missus needed to get done. It was, however, still a bit early. As we passed a coffeeshop, I noticed that the place had "morning service". We'd enjoyed the morning service at Komeda's Coffee in Kamakura, so we decided to stop and get some breakfast. From what I understand, this practice of providing toast, perhaps an egg, salad, yogurt, or something similar originated in Nagoya.

We shared the toast, yogurt, salad…the Missus had a coffee, I got tea. I don't recall what the name of this place was, but this held us until dinner!

Soon enough, a couple Salarymen came in and started smoking….it was time to get the Missus's shopping done.

We then headed back to the apartment, took our usual afternoon siesta….and headed off to Nagoya for dinner. Which we'd be having at a place with ties to San Diego.

Stay Tuned!

Revisits – Villa Manila and the Missus’s Favorite Poke Spot (It’s Zarlitos!)

February 1, 2017 mmm-yoso Breakfast/Brunch, Filipino Restaurants, Poke

A couple of revisits for you.

During the short week between Christmas and New Year, I decided to take Calvin and JohnF out for lunch. We usually eat along the rather close confines of Kearny Mesa….but this was the Holiday Season, so why not relax a bit (even though they had to stay at work even longer on this day)? John is from NorCal and Filipino…..the big joke with him is that when it comes to food, he says, I'm "more Filipino" than he is. He is also a pretty big eater, so I thought a visit to Villa Manila would be fun.

Ordering was to the point; bagoong rice (sorry no photo, though JohnF said his wife loved the leftovers), and of course Crispy Pata (a small portion).

From the looks I didn't think this was going to be as good as previous versions I've had here. But man, this was worth the "meat sweats". The skin was crisp, all that gelatinous goodness was there, the meat was moist, what more could you ask for?

I had to order the Bicol Express….which is not quite what is used to be.

There's not quite the same amount of bagoong alamang, so the flavor while still on the salty side, doesn't have as much of that savory finish. The pork is still tender, though the portion size has gotten smaller.

And then there is the Nilagang Baka, the beef shank soup. Calvin, whose Missus is Vietnamese really enjoyed the beefiness of the broth. You should have seen the look on his face when they came to refill the broth!

Overall, still a nice meal. Even though VM is not quite what it was before.

Villa Manila
500 East 8th Street
National City, CA 91950

**** Bummer; Zarlitos no longer serves poke

So, the Missus didn't believe me when I said that Zarlitos made some decent poke. But an interesting thing happened. During the nice Bitter Brothers Anniversary dinner, Candice mentioned the poke at Zarlitos to the folks sitting with us. Turns out it was Keoni Simmons (and yes, his dad is from Hawaii), who confirmed my belief that the poke Zarlitos makes is legit. And so that conversation with the Missus went on as we headed to Hogetsu Bakery. So She relented and we decided on stopping at Zarlitos.

Where she proceeded to eat a pound of poke. Now, even though I make Spicy Tuna Poke for the Missus, I'm not a big fan. The Missus enjoyed the version here.

First off, the quality of the fish is decent, no fibrous "suji". I think this would do fairly well "back home". These days, I put a bit of wasabi in my spicy tuna poke and that's what the Missus was missing….no major complaints on this though.

The Limu poke was a bit more problematic. The fish was of decent quality, but there was too much sesame oil in this…and yes, it wasn't salty enough…when was the last time I mentioned something not having enough NaCl?

Also, this version of "limu" poke used wakame….I mean, really? Even Poke Etc down the street used Limu Kohu. Still, this was much better than those "Chi-Poke" places that have sprung up everywhere.

Of course the Missus needed some rice; so I ordered the Longsilog.

Which was passable.

In the end, while it's not Tanioka's, Fresh Catch, Suisan, or Ono Seafood, it'll do until we get back home again…..hopefully soon.

Zarlitos Family Restaurant
505 East 8th St.
National City, CA 91950

Pegah’s Kitchen (Escondido) Breakfast and Lunch

January 26, 2017 Cathy American/New American Restaurants, Breakfast/Brunch, What Cathy Eats!

This is a food blog named mmm-yoso!!! Cathy is writing today; things are busy in the worlds of both Kirk and Ed(from Yuma).

Not much of a story as to how we found Pegah's-driving through Escondido after a trip to the Swap Meet: World Marketplace, traffic was backed up, took a side street and passed this small restaurant, made a mental note to go back when nearby.

If you take the Ninth Street/Auto Park Way exit from the 15 (and go East, on Ninth) you'll see this restaurant at the corner of Redwood. Open from 6 a.m. until 2:30 p.m., the parking areas next to and in front seem to always be full.
There's a small counter area, booths, tables and a sort of larger area to the right with a few tables pushed together, where we saw some groups of people meeting. The tabletop condiment selection indicates both breakfast and lunch are served.
There's a White Board at the entrance, indicating daily specials. Pea Soup was available on one daily day…and you know we had to have some. This is a Bowl ($5.99) (cup is $4.99) It was a vegetarian pea soup (good, because this visit was on Friday, when I don't eat meat) and quite excellent, made with carrot and a bit of onion. The Mister had been craving fried chicken and ordered another whiteboard special plate ($9.99) perfectly fried in a light, not spiced batter, fresh and hot along with the vegetable of the day and (real) mashed potatoes with gravy, this satisfied cravings. I was more in a 'breakfast' mood so ordered a 'Sunrise Breakfast'($7.99) which came with two eggs and home-style potatoes. I substituted raisin toast ($1). The potatoes were made perfectly, as were the poached eggs. Of course, raisin toast is always my choice. When we returned, The Mister seemed to still be in a 'fried chicken' mode, but made his choice a the chicken strip salad with Blue Cheese dressing ($10.99). This was very large, filled with fresh ingredients (the chicken strips, again a simple batter fry and served hot on top of the cool, crisp salad ingredients). I liked it a lot when we traded plates. Being more in a 'comfort food' mode, the hot turkey sandwich ($9.99)was my choice. Served open face, on top of toasted, buttered, de-crusted sourdough. Thick sliced, skin on, fresh roasted turkey along with a wonderfully 'thanksgiving-seasoned' gravy, more of those real mashed potatoes and the similar vegetable of the day really hit the spot.

Taking a detour and finding local, family owned, established in 1987 with friendly servers and quality food. Such good fortune.

Pegah's Kitchen 912 S. Redwood Street (at Ninth) Escondido 92025 (760) 739-9265 Open daily: 6 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Website

Mary’s Donuts- Lakeside

January 22, 2017 Cathy Bakery, Breakfast/Brunch, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso!!!, one of many food blogs on the internet. This one is written by three friends, two of them (Kirk and Ed (from Yuma)) are too busy and/or tired to post today, so Cathy is writing a short post on this gloomy, wet and cold day. If you've been to East County, you might recognize the symbol.

It looks like it was taken off of the original Mary's Donuts in Santee, which closed almost a year ago after being in that location more than 30 years; the new Santee location has it. The newest location is in Lakeside, near the end of Highway 67, on Maine Street; that's a new donut symbol. cc was there at the Grand Opening! Yes, these photos were taken over the December holiday season; the windows were decorated and red and green frosting was used in a festive way. The selection of donuts is tremendous, fresh and, as always, tasty. (That giant one, next to the apple fritters on the top shelf is a 'Birthday Donut', $10) At the cash register, I noticed signage regarding sandwich choices. Not just donuts for lunch! The sandwiches are $6.99 and this turkey with cheddar choice was really good; a good amount of high quality thinly shaved quite flavorful turkey. Standard toppings of lettuce, tomato, mayo, no onion. It was served on a fresh, toasted croissant, probably from Costco. I like basic, good quality sandwiches.A ham and egg breakfast sandwich, with lettuce and tomato and mayo really hit the spot. Again, a good amount of high quality ham along with the freshly scrambled eggs. A great meal.
Of course, we came here for donuts. My favorite, a French cruller ($0.95), with green frosting (just to be festive; if blindfolded, I would not know if it were plain glazed or frosted, much less color) and the ever popular, quite large, quite apple filled, apple fritter ($1.90), which was shared and taken home to be shared again later.

A great, local place. Stay safe!

Mary's Donuts-Lakeside 10101 Maine Avenue Lakeside, Ca 92040 (619) 334-5272 Always open

Gus’s Subs and Pizza-(La Mesa)(Revisit)

January 15, 2017 Cathy American/New American Restaurants, Breakfast/Brunch

mmm-yoso!!! is the name of this blog. Kirk is not posting today and neither is Ed (from Yuma); Cathy has free time.

There are several diners that The Mister and I tend to frequent. I wrote a short post about Gus's in 2011 and we've been here many times since then. You'll see menu specials on the exterior windows and there's a sandwich board at the door…
along with the menu above the cash register, which mirrors the one handed to you and there are more specials listed on an inner wall.We seem to be here for breakfast most of the time. The Top Sirloin and Eggs (now $10.99) is (still) a good deal, served with home fries or hash browns and toast or pancakes. French toast with eggs and sausage (that is a very large, very flavorful sausage) or bacon ($8.25) is also a tasty choice.

Most of the lunches come with a choice of soup or salad and the house made pea soup is always a choice. Liver and onions ($8.95) is also a choice of mine at many lunches. The calves liver here is prepared nicely: tender with a floured/light crunch.

The gyros topped Greek salad ($9.25), served with garlic toast and a very good (house made) dressing usually results in leftovers and my enjoying another meal later that day.

One of the exterior window specials is for a large (one topping) pizza and salad ($11.99) and that is a definite meal with leftovers for us. The pizza over here is cheesy and is nicely crispy. The crust sometimes seems a bit 'fluffy' and tastes better the next day, but really I have no complaints. The sausage topping is, again, unique in flavor and texture; really good.

The pastrami sub (12 inches, $12.75) is one of the best we've ever had. Fresh bread, toasted and brushed with mustard and layered with a plentiful amount of quality smokey pastrami, griddled thoroughly, with crisped edges and melted provolone which is then pressed before serving…it is perfection. Taking home half results in enough meat for two omelets the next morning.

Ending this post with a rather sloppy set of photos is not intentional. A 1/2 lb chili cheese burger with fries ($9.95) is a comfort meal sometimes. The chili is made with beans and has a good spicy kick. The charred part of the burger went with the chili. The fresh, toasted bun and side of fries made from gigantic potatoes is, again, more than enough food for a single meal.

Gus's Subs and Pizza 5620 Baltimore Drive La Mesa 91942 (619)462-4877 Open 7 a.m.-9 p.m. 7 days

Daily Grind(s) Cafe (Rolando)-Breakfasts

January 10, 2017 Cathy American/New American Restaurants, Breakfast/Brunch

Thanks for taking a break to read this food blog, mmm-yoso!!! Kirk and Ed(from Yuma) are too busy researching places to post about so Cathy is writing today's post.

In early October, cc and I met up for a Saturday breakfast at a location which has changed owners and business models a few times in the past 30 years. (In the late 80's, The Mister and I came to this location for fried chicken every Sunday and I also recall it being only a coffee shop for a short while, until the Starbucks opened across the street). Located across the street from Ralphs (and on the other side, from Starbucks) in the general area of SDSU, you may have noticed the small building with a large sign on the roof if stuck at the signal light. The interior hasn't changed much over the years. It isn't hipster, just clean and comfy. Family owned, with customers from the neighborhood as well as from the University, Daily Grind(s) is steadily busy.

That Saturday morning, cc ordered her usual, a chicken fried steak and eggs plate ($9.95) -tender cubed steak with a crispy, light batter topped with a good peppery sausage gravy. I ordered the pancake special($9.95)-three fluffy (with lightly crisp edges) pancakes wrapped around a filling of scrambled eggs and sausage (there was a choice of sausage or bacon). This was a quality, tasty basic breakfast.

A few weeks ago, there was finally time for The Mister to come back to this great place with me. It was a weekday and there is a special Monday-Thursday menu offered.

He chose the bacon and cheese omelet ($6.95) which comes with home fries and toast. This was a large, heavy omelet and very filled; I only have blurred photos of a cross section, though.
I decided on the french toast plate ($7.95) which comes with two eggs and a choice of bacon or sausage. The french toast was properly made (crispy outside and fluffy/gooey innards), the eggs were properly over easy and the bacon was of good quality; thick and smoke flavored.

All in all, a really nice neighborhood diner.

Daily Grinds Cafe El Cajon Blvd San Diego 92115 (619)697-0750 Open Daily 6a.m.-4 p.m.