Breakfast/Brunch – Page 23

Swami’s (La Mesa)

December 29, 2015 Cathy American/New American Restaurants, Breakfast/Brunch, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso!!! is a regularly posting blog about food (for the most part). Kirk, Ed (from Yuma) and Cathy are the usual writers here, sharing some sort of food memory, along with random factoids. Today is a meal from Cathy.

The Mister and I don't usually stop at the Swami's in downtown La Mesa unless we are there before the parking meters are enforced. But most of the summer, there had been much street construction on and around La Mesa Boulevard and parking has been free. The street did just re-open before Christmas, with new bench seating and just a nicer, cleaner 'Village" feel.There are six (and soon to be seven) locations of Swami's in the County, the first opened on Highway 101 in Encinitas in 2005. There are also two other East County restaurants ( La Mesa Bistro and Bakery and ECB (El Cajon Bistro) which are also owned by the same family and follow the same business model (walk up, order and pay and your food is brought out to you), similar menu (in choices and chalkboard presentation) and local wall mural decoration in the eating area. The consistency and extensive menu choices between all locations is comforting.

Family and friends who come to visit are usually from another time zone and at 6 a.m. here, their internal clocks are telling them it is 9 a.m. and they are ready for breakfast (all locations open at 7 a.m.), so one of the Swami or Bistro locations is a usual spot of us when we don't want to cook at home. But, in the case of free parking, we did stop at the La Mesa location for breakfast a few weeks ago.

The Mister has been having waffle cravings for the past few months and the Granola Multigrain Belgian waffle ($9.95) with strawberries was his (predictable, to me) choice one morning. The whole grain batter and added crunchiness is a little sweet and a sort of blend of healthiness (that Coca Cola bottle is holding warm maple syrup, for people who want even more sweetness). He added two eggs and bacon for $3, making this quite a large meal.The breakfast (ABC) quesadilla ($9.95) comes with a choice of fruit or potato, and my choice was predictable as well. The avocado, bacon, cheese and egg on the wheat tortilla is filling and tasty. Again, it's a good start to the day.

Another local, family owned business.

Swami's 8284 La Mesa Boulevard La Mesa 91941 (619) 668-9030 Mon-Sat 7 a.m.-9 p.m. Sun 7 a.m.-3 p.m. (all locations) Website

2016 Rose Parade Float Decorating and other year end activities

December 26, 2015 Cathy American/New American Restaurants, Bakery, Breakfast/Brunch, Burgers, Chains, Festivals & Events, What Cathy Eats!, yoso-silly

Thanks for stopping by to read mmm-yoso!!!, primarily a food blog. Now that Christmas is over, Kirk and Ed(from Yuma) are relaxing. Cathy is switching into overdrive, because she's been following traditions which continue until the 12th Night after Christmas Day.

On the drive home after The Mister and I had another non-traditional Thanksgiving meal, we talked about our next drive to Pasadena which was almost a monthly road trip this year. I had signed us up to volunteer to decorate Rose Parade floats back in June, choosing a Saturday in early December. When we arrived to check in, fellow blogger, Dennis, was also at the Rose Palace decorating barn of Phoenix Decorating Company, fulfilling one of many items on his "Bucket List". The view from the floor when we walked in is amazing.

There were two floats still under construction ( sponsored by United Sikh Mission, to the right in the above photo)… and this one, sponsored by Farmers Insurance. This float, mentioned/pictured in my October Road Test post will be following behind the main part of the Farmers Insurance float.

It was a day of preparation of dried flowers (so they could be pulverized in blenders and then the powder glued onto the floats), 'beaning' and 'seeding' and various jobs involving glue. More soothing and meditative, not the frenzy of fresh flower preparation (including the filling of thousands of vials with water) which begins today and continues until judging on the 31st. Taking a break, Dennis and I climbed to the catwalk (where the general public can also walk, for a fee) to take some photos…

The parade will be on television, kicking off at 8 a.m. on January 1. If you'd like to follow along and know the Order of the March, this link to the Pasadena Examiner lists each participant in order. There is also an app (it's free), mentioned on the the Tournament web site of the 2016 Parade Program. Beginning on page 39, there is a short paragraph explaining each participant and a photo of the band, equestrian unit, or the artist rendition of the float as it will appear in the parade. The Theme of "Find Your Adventure" combined with the co-sponsorship with the National Park Service (and the beginning of the NPS 100th year) is sure to make this parade one to remember!

Since this is a food blog…our meals that day…since we didn't have to leave the house at our usual 5 a.m., we had some breakfast at home then stopped in Tustin for cheesy delights; my most favorite version of ham and cheese baked into a bread and, on the left…a sort of cracker-cheese with a bit of flour; just the right amounts of each for a lightly salty, crispy pastry. Once again, we didn't purchase the delicious strawberry confections that Cream Pan is famous for. Cream Pan Bakery website

We did bring our own lunch, some sandwiches, and had those with coffee at the nearby Starbucks.

On the way home, there was one stop and then we saw horrible traffic, so ended up taking side roads to try to avoid, eventually stopping at the Etiwanda Avenue (in Mira Loma) location of Farmer Boys
Where I ordered my 'usual' breakfast sandwich (this time with bacon) and The Mister tried some sort of chicken/cheese/avocado/bacon sandwich… I have no description, except it was good as always; we were exhausted. Farmer Boys Website

Leaving the decorating barn, we had stopped at Orchard Supply Hardware in Pasadena to pick up the first of 2016 business giveaway calendars.Orchard Supply always has a train themed calendar and this year is the first time (in 85 years of calendars) when an artist's work has been featured two years in a row. The artist, Ken Muramoto, is extremely talented (and the youngest artist who has contributed to the tradition of OSH calendars). You can read about him HERE.

I enjoy the Vallarta Market calendar, because it lists the Days of the Saints in a format I can look at randomly. The Nijiya calendar is always beautiful. The Vietnamese Market Thuan Phat's calendar is HUGE and beautiful. The calendar from Lucky Seafood was…um…interesting this year. I know there are alway several designs chosen for the printing. This one we received well…I just never thought of a cartoony Asian man taking a selfie…but this calendar will be in my kitchen and I am sure it will make me smile every single morning in 2016.

The Mister and I also went to Fort Rosecrans, just after the annual volunteers from Wreaths Across America had finished placing wreaths in memoriam of our fallen military. Not every grave was covered, but each year a different section is completely filled. Volunteers will be needed for cleanup the second to last Saturday in January.
Once again, before our trek to the Cemetery, we stopped at P.L. Bagels for a buttered, toasted (available on weekends only) bialy and a (similarly prepared and available every day) everything bagel. Reasonable size, fresh made daily, seeds on the top AND bottom and sold until they run out. This family owned and run San Diego institution is great. P.L. Bagels 3704 Voltaire Street, Suite 107 San Diego 92107 (619) 223-4788 open daily 6a.m.-1 p.m.
Finally, one last local institution (more than 50 years in the same location) is closing and moving, because the land on that corner is more valuable than whatever rent the owner can get from the gas station, car wash and Mary's Donuts, combined. I've briefly mentioned Mary's in only two posts over all these years, but it is walking distance from home and since it is open 24/7…it is very much part of our 'rotation'. The new location is even a bit closer for us, but the ambiance just won't be the same…I hope the donuts are.

Mary's Donuts 9031 Mission Gorge Road Santee 92071 (619) 448-4800

I hope you are having a wonderful Season.

Tender Greens (revisits)(Breakfast, too)

December 17, 2015 Cathy American/New American Restaurants, Breakfast/Brunch, Salads, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso!!! is the name of this food blog. Kirk usually writes here and is needing a bit of a break. Ed (from Yuma) usually has something interesting to write about, but not today. Cathy is writing to share about more adventures about a favorite restaurant, which has multiple locations.

I've written about Tender Greens after the first location opened at Liberty Station in 2009 and again in 2011. Then Kirk wrote about one of his lunches downtown when he had Jury Duty in 2013. I followed up with a post a few months later. It's time for an update. Tender Greens has expanded (there are now four San Diego locations) and the menus are the same, with varied daily specials at each location.

Earlier this year, both The Mister and I performed our civic duty involving the Jury Systems located downtown. One of the 'perks' of showing up for duty (even if you are not chosen to be on a jury) is a small reimbursement of one Metropolitan Transit System all day trolley/bus/coaster pass good anytime within the next six months. Since we each had a pass (and one would be expiring soon) we decided to return downtown early one morning.The downtown location is the only one that offers breakfast (Monday-Friday). The menu is limited- there are three sandwiches (braised short rib/egg, veggie/egg and ham/egg/cheese), four 'plates and such' (two eggs with bacon and toast, a fritatta, a 'power bowl' and granola) and 'other deliciousness' (fruit, pastries, avocado toast and a quiche).Placing our order and paying, we were asked if we wanted butter and/or jam for the toast. Those cups were filled (not pre-filled) and the coffee poured and we found a table in the fairly empty restaurant. Wondering what was going on, we realized the food was being prepared and was not pre-prepared, the way you normally 'follow' your lunch or dinner down the prep and serving line. The 'Seasonal Veggie Fritatta' ($7), made with 'farm' vegetables, roasted potatoes, cage free eggs and topped with queso fresco. The whole idea of a single fritatta was fascinating and something we will be trying at home over the holidays. The freshness and flavors were outstanding. The toasted grain bread on the side was really good and didn't really need the butter or jam, but we did use those condiments. The breakfast sandwiches are served on a toasted Con Pane brioche bun. This is the 'House made Ham and Cheddar' ($7). It's really good. The ham is not salty, very flavorful and is great on its own. The scrambled eggs were airy, light and fluffy. The cheddar cheese added just the right amount of saltiness. There was a smear of apricot mustard which added just the right amount of savory. I already want to get another breakfast sandwich here.
This is what the front of the University Town Center location looks like. It's just outside the Food Court/Ice Skating Rink area. There is seating inside as well as on the patio, but you can carry your tray out to the central outdoor area also.

One day this summer, the location at UTC had the daily special of steamed mussels (with house made bacon) ($11.50) These were a good quality of mussel, plump and in a savory sauce; the bacon added just the right amount of saltiness needed.The 'Happy Vegan' ($11.50) is still my fallback choice. Sometimes I am so overwhelmed with the menu that I just know the combination of salads (a tender green salad, a scoop of tabbouleh, a quinoa with cucumber and beets, a farro/wheat with cranberries and hazelnuts and a green hummus) will satisfy as well as taste wonderful. Some days a 'Charcuterie Board' ($11.50) is offered; some days there aren't enough ingredients left. I mentioned in another post that P. Baluster Salumi is made here. The boards are always different either in the meats or cheeses or various condiments offered. Each and every board has been wonderful.The latest 'comfort food' order here has been a 'Hot Plate' with the backyard marinated steak, yukon gold potatoes and a tender green salad ($11.50). The steak is always medium rare, unless you request otherwise. The yukon gold mashed potatoes are addictive. There are always a variety of fresh baked goods available for dessert (around $3) and this one was memorable and unexpected. Not in any way a common cupcake.

Tender Greens. Multiple locations. Different hours, depending on location. Website

Tobey’s 19th Hole (Balboa Park) revisits

November 27, 2015 Cathy American/New American Restaurants, Breakfast/Brunch

It's nice of you to stop by mmm-yoso!!! to read about food. This time, Cathy is writing while Kirk and Ed (from Yuma) are vacationing.

It's been about two years since I wrote a small post about Tobey's 19th Hole, the coffee shop restaurant inside the Balboa Park Golf Course Clubhouse since 1934.This San Diego Municipal course is located close to downtown and has inexpensive green fees (slightly higher for non-residents of the City of San Diego) and some holes have dramatic elevation changes, making the play here a nice challenge. This is the view from one of the tables inside the Coffee Shop…downtown…Point Loma…and a beautiful part of the course. The menu is simple in a Coffee Shop/Diner sort of way. I don't recall any other golf course menu offering liver and onions as a lunch entree.

Usually, we are here for breakfast, the primary reason being that since tee time begins at 7 a.m., the Coffee Shop is open then also. Being awake early and not always wanting to cook at home nor have fast food or a wifi connection while eating breakfast is very relaxing. Also, being able to enjoy Balboa Park without tourists makes us feel very 'local'.The Chicken Fried Steak ($10) is one of the more expensive breakfasts on the menu and it is so good. It comes with two eggs, choice of toast and a choice of potato…and we do vacillate between ordering crispy hash browns or home fries…this day, having some vegetables on the plate was our way of 'eating healthy'. The steak is thick, tender (fork can cut it; you don't need the knife) lightly breaded and fried to a good crisp. The gravy has pieces of a mild sausage and some black pepper and is just right.Some days I want French toast. There is an option of one-one-one ($5.25) or two-two-two ($7.50). Since I wanted to share some of the Chicken Fried Steak from The Mister's plate, I ordered the two eggs, two French Toast and two (skin on) sausages…if we aren't in a 'sharing' mood, then the one-one-one is an order. Just wanted you to see the 'over easy' egg is really prepared overly easy…and that the eggs here have such lovely orange yolks.When leaving the other day, we noticed this signage…and since The Mister and I have had the 'tradition' of Thanksgiving Day being inconsistently celebrated, we decided this year would also be different. The regular menu was presented to us, but we said we would like the 'special' dinner. A choice of soup or salad was offered. The vegetable beef soup was wonderful! The salad was crisp and cold and plenty; the Thousand Island dressing was really good. I'm thinking I had never ordered a salad here…and that I must do so in the future. Each of us receive the same overfilled plates of wonderful food: real (lumpy) mashed potatoes and gravy, a nice flavored (not too salty) stuffing which had crisp celery and onion, much white meat turkey (which had flavor without gravy), peas and corn and a nice helping of whole cranberry sauce (placed in the lettuce cup, which I thought was a brilliant way to ensure non-intermingling of watery sauce flow over). Also, a nice dense yet fresh dinner roll was served on the side with real butter and jam packets. {Yes, I made myself a tiny sandwich, slathering on a bit of everything as part of my meal…leftovers during the meal seemed right} The perfectly sized slice of pumpkin pie was chilled, which I now think is better than being still warm. The flavors had a chance to mingle and that 'pumpkin spice' was not overpowering as it is with some of the 'pumpkin spice flavored' products offered at this time of year. Coffee and tea was included in the price and this was just a nice meal for the two of us.

I hope all of you had a nice Thanksgiving day, too.

Tobey's 19th Hole 2600 Golf Course Drive San Diego 92102 (619)234-5921 Website Open 6-6 daily

#GoBlue

2016 Tournament of Roses Rose Parade float road test #7, Quick meal at Pharo’s Burgers (Alhambra)

November 21, 2015 Cathy American/New American Restaurants, Breakfast/Brunch, Burgers, Festivals & Events, Los Angeles County, What Cathy Eats!

Here you are, looking at mmm-yoso!!!, a food blog. Today's post takes place North of San Diego, because that's where Cathy went to eat and do some other stuff. As you know, Kirk is on vacation. Essentially, Ed (from Yuma) is also on vacation.

What a day. The Mister and I thought we were getting a head start by leaving home at around 4:50 this morning and we hit all sorts of traffic- a horrible accident, a lot of road construction…more accidents and just backups of traffic everywhere. We zig zagged on side streets and finally got to Phoenix Decorating Company at about 7:30, just in time to see the three floats which will participate in the 127th Rose Parade being tested for safety and maneuverability today. Union Bank is back with a float this year, teaming up with the American Heart Association. Their "Union of Hearts" float celebrates both the 30th year for Union and one of the many goals of the AHA- exercise. It's a cute float…the 'female' heart waves one arm while the 'male' heart arms are alternating 'lifting weights'. This is what the float collapses down to, so it can fit along the parade route. Honda, the sponsor of the parade, will have this extremely long float at the start. We were fascinated watching it maneuver back into the decorating barn. The wheels are independent and the float seems to work like a ladder fire truck. The front part (in front of the bridge) will depict National Parks in Japan, and at the rear of the bridge,
where the driver is seated (up high) is a diorama depicting National Parks of the USA. The 2016 Tournament of Roses Rose Parade is co-sponsored by the National Park Service. The theme is "Find Your Adventure".

Western Asset has another beautiful float this year, "Let Your Imagination Run Wild". Taking a peek inside the barn, I could see the amount of work that has taken place since we were last up here…painted outlines are on most of the floats and so much is being done- Dry Decorating starts in two weeks! Here is a link to The Examiner's article about all the floats which will be in the 2016 parade.

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On to the food portion of this blog post.

You might recall I mentioned that the traffic today was the worst we've ever experienced. We drove a completely new-to-us route and ended up in Alhambra on the way to Pasadena, so we left the same way…and stopped here.. The corner of Garfield and Atlantic is where Pharos has been since 1994. 'Pharos' means lighthouse…see the shape of the front sign? Inside, up on top of the shelving and scattered on the counter near the cash register are a collection of lighthouses. The menu is on the wall. Order, pay, have a seat and your number will be called. Usually, my order anywhere is a 'breakfast sandwich with bacon, on rye'. It was no different today. ($5.79) A good rye toast, griddled eggs, a thick slice of tomato, folded lettuce leaves, mayonnaise and plenty of crispy bacon. A perfect meal…for me.
The Mister asked and then ordered a pastrami burger ($6.79) and also a large order of onion rings ($3.75). Charbroiled burger. Good pastrami (not peppery) on a toasted sesame seed bun. Wonderful not greasy onion rings. The food here was excellent; we brought home leftovers.

I hope you're having a good weekend.

Pharo's Burgers 1129 N. Garfield Alhambra 91801 (626) 284-2800 Website
2016 Float tests: #1 (we couldn't make it to road test #2) #3 and #4 #5 #6

This link is to the artist renditions of all the floats that Phoenix Decorating Company is producing for the 2016 parade.

Golden Egg Omelet House-Escondido

November 16, 2015 Cathy American/New American Restaurants, Breakfast/Brunch, Sandwiches, What Cathy Eats!

Thanks for stopping and reading mmm-yoso!!!, a food blog. Kirk is not here, Ed (from Yuma) is in Yuma and Cathy is writing a post about another San Diego breakfast-lunch place.

Golden Egg Omelet House is located at an obscure corner of an obscure mall just South of the 78, on Broadway at Centre City Parkway(at the NorthEast corner). Once you see the McDonald's, drive in and go around and behind the building that is behind the McDonald's Drive Thru. You may or may not have ever seen or heard of it, but it's been in Escondido over 35 years. A local spot.The decor is unique…let's call it 'Country Charm'.Walking in, there is a White Board of daily specials.

The menu is one large page-breakfasts on one side and lunches on the other side. There are almost 100 omelet creations to choose from, with primary meats of Bacon, ham, sausage, ground beef, turkey, chicken, Italian sausage, Polish Sausage, corned beef, shrimp and even chili. There's a choice of just about every vegetable imaginable: tomato, spinach, mushroom, zucchini, bell pepper, green onion, green chiles, avocado. artichokes, olives, broccoli and potato. Of course there's also a choice of cheese: Jack, Cheddar, American, Pepper Jack or Swiss. If you don't see an omelet listed, you can make your own; they have the ingredients.

One note: the omelets are HUGE. They come with toast, no potato. If you'd like Dudley's date walnut toast, it's an extra 39 cents.The #89 omelet ($11.09 plus 39¢ for the fancier Dudley's toast). Bacon, ham and Polish sausage with Jack cheese. A wonderfully filling, protein packed meal. So flavor packed.

There is also a separate menu of just potato casseroles. A midwest favorite, sometimes referred to as Hotdish - all the components of a meal in a dish. Each casserole is named for a State.

This is the Nebraska ($9.99) It's one of those Costco sized baked potatoes, chopped up and topped with ground beef, mushrooms, onion, tomato, Jack cheese and topped with a mushroom sauce. This is quite large, filling and easily could be shared or used as a side to share at the table.Here's some more of the eclectic indoor decor. Just about everything decorating the interior is for sale…this is good in case something strikes your fancy.One Friday, The Mister decided to order the White Board "Rat Race Special" ($8.59) (it's only available Mon-Fri). The soup of the day was mushroom. Made from scratch, wonderful, solidly mushroom flavored. The fact that it comes with a full (not half) sandwich is great. Turkey- a lot of turkey, on very large slices of fresh, soft whole wheat with mayonnaise, lettuce and tomato. This was a wonderful meal.Ever since I had 'found' a tuna salad stuffed tomato at The Village Kitchen this summer, I've been on the lookout for other versions. The version here ($9.69) exceeded all expectations.

The (excellent) tuna salad stuffed tomato is on top of a bed of lettuce- enough to be its own salad. The accompaniments- artichokes, hard boiled egg, avocado, cheese and pickle fully round out the plate and then there's the delightful toasted garlic bread…a meal. A wonderful meal.

Golden Egg Omelet House 316 West Mission Avenue Escondido 92025 (760) 489-6420 Website open 7 a.m.-2:30 p.m., daily
This wonderful 1950's signage (and store) is on the opposite end of the same parking lot.

Harbor Town Pub – Brunch (Point Loma)

November 3, 2015 Cathy American/New American Restaurants, Breakfast/Brunch, Pubs and Pub Grub, What Cathy Eats!

Thanks for stopping to look at mmm-yoso!!! a food blog of San Diego and other places. Cathy is writing today; Kirk and Ed(from Yuma) are just too busy.

One of those mornings when it was hot and humid before 9 a.m. and The Mister and I thought going closer to the water would be a good idea. The drive West was nice and it seemed cooler on Point Loma. The rather ubiquitous frontage of Harbor Town Pub (located on Rosecrans, about two blocks from the Harbor and from the entrance to Shelter Island) makes it easily overlooked, but being open daily at 8 a.m., it's an easy breakfast stop, especially for locals. The menu remains the same on weekends, so basically Brunch is available daily.After downloading my photos, I realized that somehow the camera phone was set on a sepia toned filter. I apologize for the 'artsy' look.Harbor Town is located in the Portuguese neighborhood of San Diego and so linguisa is on the menu. I chose a Linguisa Scramble ($10.95) for my meal. Eggs, tomato, green onion, cilantro, Cotija cheese and a chipotle cream were all mixed with a good amount of the smoked, garlicy Portuguese sausage. A topping of crispy tortilla strips was the perfect texture that this hearty (and large portioned) dish needed.The Mister has been trying variations of chicken and waffles ever since encountering 'the original version' a couple of years ago. The version here ($11.95) fit the bill; large portions of boneless, skinless white meat chicken is dipped in waffle batter and then fried. Served with a biscuit, eggs and home fries, this hearty meal was really good.

There are several other scrambles, a banana bread french toast as well as a high end country fried steak also available for breakfast…great quality and a non-touristy vibe.

Harbor Town Pub 1125 Rosecrans Street San Diego 92107 (619) 2241321 Open daily 8 a.m.-1 a.m. Website

2016 Tournament of Roses Rose Parade Float Road Test #6, breakfast at Sandwiches by Connal

October 29, 2015 Cathy American/New American Restaurants, Breakfast/Brunch, Festivals & Events, Los Angeles County, Sandwiches, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso!!! is a food blog. There are always reasons about how we (Kirk, Ed (from Yuma) and Cathy) get around to the food. Today, Cathy is writing about one of her monthly road trips to Pasadena.

Late October and yet floats are being constructed and necessarily being tested for safety and maneuverability prior to their participation in the 127th Tournament of Roses Rose Parade, which will occur on January 1, 2016. The Theme of the parade this year is "Find Your Adventure" and will be held in conjunction with the National Park Service, which will be celebrating its 100th year since being entrusted with the care of over 400 locations of the National Parks of the United States.

The day starts early for road tests. We have to be on the road by 5 a.m., to be at the Phoenix Decorating Company barn by 7 a.m.. There is another company which constructs floats along with six floats which are self made and all have different road testing days. Since The Mister and I have decorated floats with the Petal Pushers, who assist with many of the floats made by Phoenix Decorating since before I began writing on this blog, we usually only drive up to see the Phoenix floats being road tested. The American Armenian Rose Float Association will have its second float, "Discover Armenia" in the parade in January, and it is again very detailed, showing 17 different Armenian architectural symbols.Back in August, this very long float was road tested. (You can see the Driver to the right in a red shirt and the Spotter of the float to the left, with the yellow chair).Knowing that base showed nothing of the float design, I waited for more details of this steampunk design titled "Fearless Flyer". Once the colors are marked for the live and dry materials, this Trader Joe's float will really take shape. It collapses down on that accordion pleated central area…and yes, there will be steam coming from various parts of the float as it drives down Colorado Boulevard. This will be one of the more magnificent floats in the parade.The Destination Irvine float, "Innovation Rocks" has been outlined and colored and now looks like the artist rendition. It is ready for decoration, which will begin on December 5.

You can see the artist renditions of all the floats I've shown you so far this year at this link.Peeking into the barn before leaving, we saw this small boat with an outboard motor…and I know Honda (the parade sponsor) makes outboard motors…so I'm thinking this is part of the first float you'll see as the parade starts. {I was wrong: the above outboard motor is part of the Farmers Insurance "Along for the Ride" float. Additional artist renditions of the floats were added to the above link after this post was published.}

We were off to breakfast and decided to stop at Sandwiches by Connal, which has been in Pasadena since 1958 (and which I wrote about last year, after another road test).Not much has changed since September 2014. The prices are for 'to go' items and it costs a bit less because we eat in. We've been here more than once, so here's a compendium of breakfast items. The bacon breakfast burrito ($4.99) is made with three eggs and hash browns and bacon. The sausage croissant ($3.99) is similarly prepared. As always: hearty, fresh and excellent. The bacon breakfast sandwich (on wheat) ($4.59) is made with folded (not shredded) lettuce leaves, tomato, egg and bacon. Always a favorite. The chorizo burrito ($5.29) weighs more than a pound (because, again, three eggs and hash browns as well as a lot of chorizo) and comes with red or green sauce added for you.The Ribeye steak and eggs ($7.99). Three eggs, hash browns, toast and a good size piece of tender meat…a nice way to begin the rest of the day.

I hope your week is going well!

Sandwiches by Connal 1505 East Washington Pasadena, CA 91104 (626)794-5018 Website (the menu website links have old prices, the wall prices in the photo above are 'to go' prices, it's about 50¢ less per item when you eat in).

Turo Turo Tuesday: Manila Resto

October 27, 2015 mmm-yoso Breakfast/Brunch, Filipino Restaurants

**** Manila Resto has closed

I was in National City recently looking for a specific ingredient…had no luck at Seafood City, but I noticed this new "turo-turo" (point-point) place had opened up.

So I decided to stop and grab some breakfast. Man, this restaurant is huge……

The woman working the counter was very friendly and the food looked decent….so I went with the Longanisa and Chicken Tocino….I had to stop her from piling on the garlic rice and still ended up with a load of carbs.

And the egg of course, which had been sitting in a steam tray. The garlic in the rice was burnt, thus making the whole deal quite bitter. The longanisa was as expected, a meaty-juicy pouch of loveliness. The chicken tocino was really tough, it had been cooked down too long. It was also more salty than sweet.

It was quite obvious, this was one of those quantity over quality places.

No big deal……I made a note to revisit one day…no rush.

Funny thing happened the following week. I saw an old coworker of mine. She dropped off lunch from this "new place" to try…..it was from Manila Resto.

She got me the Bicol Express and the Beef Kaldereta, two dishes I love. She even told me they went easy on the rice….it was still way to much for me.

Bicol Express combines wonderful savory (from the fermented shrimp paste- bagoong alamang), with spicy (from chili peppers). This one kind of weak.

This was really tough, lacked spice….I mean it was really whimpy, and though it was salty, it could have used more bagoong.

The Kaldereta was slightly better; though it was still on the bland side. I enjoy mine a bit tangy from the tomato with a beefy edge. The pieces of beef were huge and had to be cut into pieces before eating. It was also a bit too greasy for my taste.

You won't go hungry after this…..but it's obviously more about quantity than quality here.

Manila Resto
1420 E Plaza Blvd Suite D2
National City, CA 91950

Della Frattoria (Petaluma), Point Reyes Farmer’s Market, and Tomales Bay Foods (Cowgirl Creamery)

October 23, 2015 mmm-yoso Breakfast/Brunch, Cheese, Farmer's Markets/Night Market, Marin, Napa, and Sonoma Counties, Travel

Our one full day in Marin – Sonoma County was going to be a rather busy. Instead of doing what most folks here would do (wineries), we went after some cheese.

But first, breakfast. We headed to Old Town Petaluma, which looked quite sleepy…..

And headed to a place our good friend Candice recommended for breakfast named Della Frattoria. Part bakery, coffee shop, and brunch stop, we enjoyed the atmosphere, and the folks here are quite friendly.

The coffee was decent and the brunch menu was nice, lots of bread (duh) based items. While there were many tempting options, the Missus and I aren't keen on huge breakfasts. Especially if we have a busy day ahead of us. I did see something I thought we'd both enjoy, which I hadn't seen since we were on Malta, a sandwich made with an Italian style flatbread called a piadina. The sandwich seemed like more than enough for the two of us and we were willing to pay the split plate charge of three bucks, but the really nice young man said, "why don't you just order the sandwich and I'll bring you an extra plate….it's already cut in half. that way you won't have to waste three bucks." Nice folks, eh?

It was all the great breakfast suspects plus the addition of arugula which balanced things out. It's that bread that really made this sandwich…..closer to a "fry bread", than a piadina, it was really nice and crisp, and really good. Just enough for the both of us.

Della Fattoria
141 Petaluma Blvd N
Petaluma, CA 94952
Hours:
Open Daily 7am – 3pm

We then headed off to our first stop for the day, over to Point Reyes Station, parking our car on the street. The town is very quaint and seemed like a favorite stop of bicycle folks, who were taking a carb break along the street.

On Saturday mornings, Toby's Feed Barn turns into the Point Reyes Farmer's Market.

It's a cute little Farmer's Market, with a quaint small town feel. I love the vibe.

The main reason we drove here was because one of our favorite domestic cheesemakers; Cowgirl Creamery is located here. We started at the booth at the Farmer's Market…….where the woman working seemed quite uninterested in talking about the cheese and just really wanted to give out samples. Perhaps she hadn't gotten her morning coffee yet…..

We did enjoy Toby's Feed Barn though….which actually is a feed barn…..

But these days also a really cool store and art gallery……

Point Reyes Farmer’s Market at Toby’s Feed Barn
11250 Hwy 1
Point Reyes Station, CA 94956
Hours:
Saturday 9am – 1pm

Not having had great luck at the Farmer's Market, we headed down the street to Tomales Bay Food where Cowgirl Creamery's Shop is located.

Unfortunately, even though the sign said open (920 am Saturday morning)….no one wanted to acknowledge my existence……

Since I really didn't think I should have to hail the young lady standing behind the counter considering I was the only person in the place as well as standing in front of the cheese case a few feet from her….yes, I did have questions….and yes, I wanted to learn something about that Red Hawk we enjoy so much. But it was not to be.

Tomales Bay Foods
80 4th St
Point Reyes Station, CA 94956

Point Reyes Station is a cute little town and Cowgirl Creamery makes some of our favorite cheese…..however……well, I'll just leave that be. We were off to have more cheese.

Thanks for reading!