Breakfast/Brunch – Page 28

De Mi Cafe Cafe- Breakfast

May 27, 2014 Cathy Breakfast/Brunch, Caffeine Fix, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso!!! is a San Diego based food blog. Writers here include Kirk, Ed(from Yuma) and Cathy. Everyone but Cathy is busy today, so here's a post she wrote.

I've passed by this corner of Friars Road at Via Las Cumbres countless times in the past year, always noticing a dear favorite, Mr. Peabody's, always seeing the 'new' signage for De Mi Cafe Cafe and then continuing on to wherever I was headed. Finally one weekday morning, The Mister and I stopped here.

As with any Cafe, you walk up, order, pay and your food is brought to you. It turns out the owner, Michal, was also our cashier and the barista that morning. He is a very nice, interesting person and quite efficient.

Of course, there is an espresso machine (and most people were ordering espresso based beverages), but we decided on a 'regular' coffee to share. One of the condiments offered at the counter was organic half and half.

Whiile waiting (and after perusing the various refrigerated treat offerings), I noticed the glass topped chest freezer to the side, filled with some delightful items, which we will be returning to try very soon.

The Mister chose a De Mi egg sandwich ($5). It's served on a choice of breads-this is on white toast, and it is a good, hearty white bread. Made with ham, scrambled egg and cheddar (choice of cheddar or provolone) cheese, this was surprisingly flavorful and filling.

I chose the De Mi Breakfast Plate ($6.50) with the wheat toast (again, a very hearty bread). Served with Italian salami, the cheddar and provolone, a large pat of good, unsalted butter and the tomatoes (as well as unseeded grapes), this was another filling and wonderful breakfast.

Oh- and that croissant on the first plate- chocolate ($2.50). Made here. Still warm. Wonderful.

This was a wonderful, European style breakfast right in the midst of Mission Valley.

De Mi Cafe Cafe 6110 Friars Road, Suite 102 San Diego, CA 92108 (619)246-0968 M-Th 6am-4pm, Fri-Sat 7-7, Sun 8-7 Website

St. Tropez Bakery & Bistro (Encinitas)

May 20, 2014 Cathy Breakfast/Brunch, Desserts, French Restaurants, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso!!!, the title of a blog about food. Kirk is enjoying his vacation of hearty meals, Ed (from Yuma) is enjoying the end of an exuberant era and Cathy is sharing her enjoyment of a genuinely good little restaurant.

Well, time to get back to some normalcy. The weather has cooled down, the winds have slowed down and the fires are contained.

A few months ago, I met a client for an exchange of paperwork. She suggested St. Tropez Bakery and Bistro, the original location, inside The Lumberyard shopping center, located in downtown Encinitas. Turns out there are now four San Diego locations and two are franchises.

We had coffee, shared a pastry and when I was getting ready to leave, she asked me to wait and went inside, came out and presented me with a bag of what were to become a few meals and snacks.

The packaging contained two of each of the above items- ham quiche, veggie quiche, raisin swirled pastry and an apricot topped pastry. Each item was superb, fresh and of high quality. The crusts, cheesy custard and fillings of the quiches were excellent. I really enjoyed the raisin only (no cinnamon) puff pastry and the custard and crust under the torched, glazed, flavorful apricots were standouts.

Here's a photo of one meal at home. (Parisian Salad mix from Costco).

A few weeks later, I took The Mister for the drive North, so we could try more menu items. You order, pay and have a seat.

The chicken curry croissant ($9.25) (includes the salad, topped with my choice of balsamic vinaigrette- there are several vinaigrette flavors to choose from). A whole grilled (just right; juicy) chicken breast with Swiss cheese covered with a creamy European curry (not a hot curry; more of a sweet mix of flavors-there's cumin and tomato, turmeric, paprika and some garlic flavor. Have you ever had currywurst?) all on a fresh baked croissant. This unique blend of flavors, textures and freshness was excellent.

The classic Croque Madame ($9.75)(with grilled potatoes and fruit) Grilled ham and Swiss with a Bechamel (flour and butter cooked in milk) sauce, topped with a lightly cooked egg all on a hearty toasted white bread. (Croque Monsieur is the same sandwich, but without the egg. Think of a lady wearing a hat made of egg- that's Madame.)

We decided to share an order of Nutella crepes($5.95). The plate was covered with a dark chocolate sauce, real whipped cream on the side and these were wonderful. The familiar chocolate-hazelnut filling hit the spot with a cup of coffee.

All in all, excellent, tasty food. We'll be back to try more of the menu.

St. Tropez Bistro and Bakery 947 S. Coast Highway 101, Suite 103D (next to Starbucks) Encinitas 92024 (760)633-0084 Website Open daily 7 a.m.-8 p.m.

Porto: Avenida dos Aliados, Imperial McDonalds, and Confeitaria do Bolhao

April 12, 2014 mmm-yoso Bakery, Breakfast/Brunch, Desserts, Porto, Portugal, Portuguese Food, Travel

We'd had a pretty busy first day in Porto and I really slept soundly. As is typical for us, we awoke pretty early in the morning to stretch our legs and do some exploring. We'd found that mornings are almost always the best times to see things……you'll be in less of a rush and, especially in Portugal the streets are quiet and empty.

We headed up to the area that seems to be the heart of Porto; the Avenida dos Aliados, the "Avenue of the Allies". The street commemorates the marriage of King John (Joao)I and Philippa of Lancaster, creating an alliance between Portugal and England.

The avenue and promenade is lined with some nice examples of Art Nouveau and Art Deco buildings. A statue of King Pedro IV on a horse stands at the lower end of the street and City Hall the top.

I'm sure everything here has a story. It's a nice place to stroll on a cool morning, all the grand buildings around. I wondered about the statue to the right. I could find very little, at least in English on "The Naked Girl – Youth" by Henrique Moreira, sculpted in 1929.

This is also the location of McDonald's….yep, McDonald's. What's the big deal? Well, they call this location, "Imperial McDonald's" and it's supposedly the most ornate and beautiful McDonald's in the world. In case you're wondering….it's not Imperial by declaration. I was told that this was the former site of Imperial Cafe, which became derilict and run down. McDonald's took over the space in 1995.

Man, talk about fancy-schmancy…..I'd feel down right uncomfortable getting my McNuggets on here!

Still, this was just a McDonald's, so we headed back up to the area near Rua Catarina and the large Mercado do Bolhão. Before heading in, we decided on getting breakfast at Confeitaria do Bolhao right across the street.

A large case of pastries, both sweet and savory, a large area to have you espresso and a pastry, this was very "tipico" of what we encountered everywhere in Portugal.

We were mainly after some espresso, but also had a few other items, which were decent, but rather non-descript. The prices were very good….if I recall, two espressos and pastries for like 5 Euros.

We also picked up a Broa de Avintes for later on…..

Confeitaria do Bolhao
Rua Formosa 339
Porto, Portugal

A cup of espresso, carbs in our belly….we were ready for the world, or at least a visit to the Mercado do Bolhão.

Thanks for reading!

The Missus’ three current favorite places, in photos

March 12, 2014 mmm-yoso American/New American Restaurants, Breakfast/Brunch, Burgers, Mexican Restaurants, yoso-silly

Let's see if you can figure them out…..I'm pretty sure that "Hao" will have no problem!

1: This is the easiest one.

2: If you're a regular reader, this one won't be much of a challenge either……

3: This one is the toughest, but still not difficult. I'm not a big fan of the rabbit here……

So there you go. I'll update these with the places some time tomorrow.

Howard’s Lemon Grove Deli & Grill (Breakfast)

February 20, 2014 Cathy American/New American Restaurants, Breakfast/Brunch, Diner, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso!!!, the food blog you are reading, is being posted today by Cathy. Kirk and Ed(from Yuma) are really, really busy-too busy to write.

Lately, The Mister and I have had to make time to share meals out. One day, we wanted to return to Howards, a Lemon Grove Diner, which has been here for decades. Our fondness for this place began on our first visit, after the San Diego County Fires of 2003, when we were driving around looking for a place to eat and find some normalcy in our ash filled world.

Located on Broadway (the main drag) on the West side of the street along the feeder road just a block North from the Lemon Grove Trolley stop, it's convenient. From this view of the front, you may notice the doorway is a bit stepped back- there are about eight tables outside, which are covered and in front of the door to the inside eating area.

You can see the deli/sandwich/grill menu on the wall back there. Many people call in orders to go, or walk in and wait for to go orders at lunchtime. But we were here for breakfast.

This is the breakfast menu, although there are about five items listed on the wall above the door inside.

I ordered the carne asada plate with over easy eggs ($9.25). This came with corn tortillas, rice, beans, salsa, avocado and chopped tomatoes. The eggs were perfectly cooked and the steak was plentiful and seasoned well and just plain good.

The Mister ordered the chicken fried steak plate($9.25). The coating was crunchy and not the least bit greasy and the meat was thick and juicy. This came with a from scratch country gravy, which was delicious. The Mister chose home fried potatoes as his side.

Poached eggs also came with this plate. As did rye toast.

All in all, this is a great local place that has withstood the test of time. I hope all of you have such a gem in your part of town.

Howards Lemon Grove Deli & Grill 7860 Broadway Lemon Grove, CA 91945 (619)464-2928 Mon-Sat 7-4, Sun 7-2

Coimbra: Breakfast at Pastelaria Palmeira and Mercado Municipal Dom Pedro V

February 7, 2014 mmm-yoso Breakfast/Brunch, Coimbra, Desserts, Markets & Grocers, Portugal, Portuguese Food, Travel

After a fairly restless night of Ossos induced sleep, we woke early, veyr typical for us when on vacation. As with Lisbon, we notcied that folks wake a bit later in Coimbra. The Missus was just raring to go, so we headed off…..

We took a short stop on Praca de Maio taking time to admire the Church of Santa Cruz,which looked so peaceful and regal in the morning. As we approached we could hear a buzzing noise in the silence of the morning. Apparently, the building has electrified wires running around it to keep birds away.

A few blocks away, on Rua de Sofia, we found a little bakery that was doing a brisk business with locals.

The name of the place is Pastelaria Palmeira, so of course I had one…..

I had really gotten used to having that cup of espresso and a pastry for breakfast, that it just the right thing to do.

We enjoyed this place and actually returned the next morning before heading out of Coimbra.

Pastelaria Palmeira
Rua da Sofia 13
Coimbra, Portugal

Right up the street on Rua Olímpio Nicolau Rui Fernandes is the local Mercado – Mercado Municipal Dom Pedro V.

Much like the markets in Lisbon and Evora, business seemed slow. It seems that places like this are starting to fade away with younger folks shopping at chain supermarkets.

The place is a multi-level affair, full of little kiosks, the seafood area separated from the other stands.

As you can see, nary a customer in sight. I'm wondering if it was just a timing thing?

I'm hoping it is, since it would be very sad to see a way of life change…….

Mercado Municipal Dom Pedro V
Rua Olímpio Nicolau Rui Fernandes3000-303
Coimbra, Portugal

I did take my sweet old time here because I knew there was a steep hill in my future…..

Corner Sandwich & Cafe (Mira Mesa)

January 23, 2014 Cathy Breakfast/Brunch, Vietnamese Restaurants, What Cathy Eats!

Corner Sandwich & cafe has closed.

mmm-yoso!!! strives to show the various styles, ethnicities, preparation and just food consumed by Kirk, Ed(from Yuma) and Cathy, as well as a few other contributors to this food blog. Today, Cathy is showing and sharing another food adventure.

Driving through Mira Mesa one early morning, on the East end of the parking lot anchored by Seafood City, there is a McDonald's as well as this small storefront, which was open and buzzing before 9 a.m..

It has apparently been open for a few years and has a steady clientele, though an internet search shows only one blog post, ours, during a brief visit on a day of banh mi comparisons. ( The 2011 visit wasn't favorable)(New management began in 2012).

Not only will you notice the small-ish menu boards behind the cash register and along the adjacent wall (along with California Lottery Keno screens and a quite large Lotto Scratcher vending machine) but there is also a television (showing soccer games) as well as indoor and outdoor seating.

This additional set of menu addons, dated 2012, are still in effect.

Glasses filled halfway with hot tea were brought out to The Mister and I and the nice lady working brought a paper menu to the table. Everything was $5. Since I had no idea of the sizes of items, I asked for just one that we could share, pointing at the menu. She asked if we wanted a hot coffee or other beverage, but the tea was quite nice.

This was one of the best breakfast banh mi sandwiches I have ever had! The softly cooked, folded egg and warm pate-like meat, topped with fresh pickled radish, carrot, cucumber slices and cilantro, along with a few jalapeno slices, all on very fresh, soft warm and crunchy crusted bread was a perfect size and had wonderfully perfect, fresh flavors.

You can see some of the tea-filled glasses in this photo, along with some of the many people here, most of whom were sitting outside…

So glad we stopped here. Really a pretty unknown and wonderful place.

Corner Sandwich and Cafe 9005 Mira Mesa Blvd San Diego 92126 (858) 695-9566

Nate’s Garden Grill

January 22, 2014 mmm-yoso American/New American Restaurants, Breakfast/Brunch, Pubs and Pub Grub

I'd heard about Nate's Garden Grill a while back and really wanted to check them out. I took my sweet old time and the place changed management, which turned out to be for the better. Part of the intrigue is the location, on the edge of City Heights, in the same lot as this place…..

It makes for interesting bedfellows….compost and craft beer……

And yet, the quirky location and atmosphere, down to "horse bike stand", all seem to belong here in some strange way.

The floors seem well worn, like some dusty old saloon from a vintage western……

Enter through the doors to place your order at the counter. The interior is on the dark side; like someone's living room. There's a small kitchen area with a nice (21) selection of craft beer on tap.

I prefer sitting in the bright and on this day, sunny patio area, which looked like a nice, well worn deck somewhere out in the wild west……of City Heights…..

The atmosphere, location, menu, and craft beer makes Nate's a fertile feeding ground for hipsters. On this morning, there was but one of the tribe of "hats and tats", and what was that Sir Hipster was holding in his hand, but that remnant of another age….a book! Though sadly, this hipster was too busy texting to open up the book. Perhaps he was channeling his "inner Petunia"?

I wasn't super hungry, so I went with I thought would be a smaller sized breakfast, the Biscuit Sandwich with Sausage Gravy ($7.50).

Like I said, I thought it was going to be a pretty light breakfast, sausage gravy and all, but this was pretty hefty. The eggs were decently scrambled, the biscuit dense but nothing like the hockey pucks you get at Hash House. Loved the gravy, which had a nice balance of the salt and the nicely spiced breakfast sausage.

I really enjoyed sitting and watching folks going to the nursery and loading up their vehicles with sod, compost, potting soil……

Plus, the folks here were very nice.

I figured that the Missus would enjoy Nate's so I brought Her here a couple of days later. The woman working the counter was so friendly and let the Missus taste almost everything on tap. She settled for a Duchesse de Bourgogne to go with Her Flat Iron Steak Cobb Salad ($16.50).

Considering that they have a pretty small space for a kitchen, they do a pretty good job with what they have. The beef here is grass fed and finished and was cooked perfectly. The portion size was generous, a nice variety of greens, organic, crisp and fresh. Pork belly took the place of the bacon here and the Missus sure didn't complain about that. I wasn't a fan of the sriracha ranch dressing, which came off as rather flat with a tinge of heat.

I got the Pulled Pork on a Pretzel Bun ($10.50) and a Craftsman Acorn Saison to quench my thirst.

I really didn't expect much, but this ended up being very good. The pork had a nice smoked flavor with a mild chew. I've eaten my share of mushy pulled pork. The pork flavor was also good; I was told that the pork here is from Duroc pigs. I thought the kale slaw was going to be a bit intrusive, but it went really well with the pork. To top things off, I really enjoyed the pretzel bun; the crust was….well, crusty, and while the bread was dense, it wasn't too chewy.

I enjoyed the pulled pork, so I decided to return for breakfast again and this time went, ahem, whole hog, and ordered the Pulled Pork Hash ($10.50).

The hash, more a like a stir fry, was topped by two lovely poached eggs. The grilled sourdough toast was meh. Despite having some reservations about this mass of sauteed vegetables, I was pleased with the flavor. It wasn't overly seasoned so you could get the sweetness of the carrots tempered by the bitterness of the arugula, all brought together by the smoked flavor of the pork. This was way too much for me and I ended up taking half the hash (which is actually served in a small cast iron frying pan)home. The Missus, who enjoys this type of dish went through the leftovers in a blink of an eye.

We've enjoyed our meals at Nate's and will probably return soon. It's very relaxed, the woman who works here is so nice and friendly, the food is good, 21 craft beers on tap, what's not to like?

Nate's Garden Grill
3120 Euclid Ave
San Diego, CA 92105

And then of course….if you have breakfast or lunch at Nate's you can walk over to City Farmers Nursery right next door.

It's a wonderful urban oasis of plants and even more surprising for me; chickens, goats, quail, and a pony or two. I met a very friendly Rottweiler who kept nudging my hand, wanting to be pet and a cat that wouldn't stop rubbing against me. The woman working here said that I really had a way with animals. I told her that it was probably the pulled pork…….

I'll try and take better photos of the place next time.

A couple more visits like this and Nate's will hold a nice spot on our rotation. I guess your produce better be pretty good if you share a lot with a nursery, right?

Not super fancy, but fresh food, decent quality product, nicely prepared, what's not to like?

Tropifruit (Fruiteria and sandwiches) (El Cajon)

January 16, 2014 Cathy Breakfast/Brunch, Fruiterias, Mexican Restaurants, Salads, Sandwiches, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso!!! is the food blog, with writings about random foods consumed at random places sometimes surrounding random events. No such events to speak of in this post, though, sorry. (Cathy is writing.)

Well here we are. A new year. Some of you may have made resolutions to 'eat healthier' or maybe to 'try new things'. Those aren't resolutions to me, since I try to do those already (I also don't use drive thrus, try to only purchase organic milk, make an effort to clean for 15 minutes straight once a day, spend 15 minutes a week rearranging one drawer or shelf…different, attainable goals). So to maybe give you an idea of 'healthy' and 'new', perhaps this post will be an impetus.

Just on the other (West) side of Johnson Avenue from Parkway Plaza Mall is a small strip mall with a tire store, bank and Burger King. There's a Taco shop, a Thai Restaurant some other businesses and Tropifruit.

It's a fruiteria, one of many in San Diego, has been in this East County location for years and was recently re-decorated. We are so lucky to live here, with fresh fruits and vegetables available all year and I really try to buy local and enjoy what we have. (Here are two posts I've written about other currently open fruiterias. This is a link to one that is closed, but just to give you an idea.)

The menu has stayed the same since the remodel; breakfasts, sandwiches, smoothies, juices, waters, ices (raspados), fruits and salads. All fresh and in season, all made to order.

Here is a meal The Mister and I shared. (The photo shows an odd perspective, but that torta roll/bolillo really is HUGE.)

This is a small pico de gallo($5.50)- bite size cut up fruits and vegetables, topped with a squeeze of lime and spicy salt. The fruits included grapes, mango, watermelon and papaya; vegetables were jicama and cucumber. Spicy salt is Tajin (or a similar item), just chiles, lime and salt. This is always refreshing.This was the "Special Torta" ($6.50) which included both pork loin (lomo) and ham as well as lettuce, tomatoes, avocadoes and jalapeño strips on a freshly toasted bolillo roll.

A recent breakfast we enjoyed included mollettes ($5.99), a toasted wheat bolillo roll topped with refried beans and melted cows milk cheese (I think this was Monterey Jack or white cheddar; it was very creamy). This is very much a 'comfort food' item for me…creamy, warm, toasty crunch. The accompanying (quite large) side of fresh chopped tomatoes, onions and jalapeño goes just perfectly.

We also shared a small fruit salad ($5.75) Apples, bananas, grapes, strawberries, pineapple topped with cottage cheese (or plain yogurt), sunflower seeds, raisins and granola accompanied with a side of honey is a good, sweet treat any time of day.

Tropifruit 100% Natural Juice Bar 762 N. Johnson Avenue Suite 103 El Cajon 92020 (619)588-0303 M-F 7 am-8pm; Sat 8am-8pm, Sun 10am-6pm

Unusual sweet treats.

December 20, 2013 Cathy Bakery, Breakfast/Brunch, Desserts, Stuff, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso!!! is a food blog. We (Kirk, Ed (from Yuma), Cathy and a few others) try to share some sort of food centric post almost daily…no reason, other than we do indeed all eat and like to write about it. Cathy is sharing today.

It's close to Christmas and people are probably using up vacation days and perhaps doing last minute shopping. Thought I'd share some sweet surprises found around town recently. Maybe you've seen something out of the ordinary in your shopping travels, too.

The Mister and I tend to stop in to K Sandwiches once a week, either for a sandwich (breakfast, lunch, dinner) or something from the steam tray, or a grab and go croissant, loaf of bread and tasty beverage. A few weeks ago, while waiting in line to pay, I noticed this handwritten sign on the counter.

You know I had to.

Crépes, made in the waffle maker, thin and rolled so they cool to a nice, light crispiness. 50¢ each. The green one is pandan flavor (a light, floral, kind of nutty-like pistachio pudding is light, sweet and nutty in flavor) and the other is original flavor (pretty much tasted like it was made with coconut milk). Both with black sesame. A nice treat and a box full would be a nice gift.

K Sandwiches 7604 Linda Vista Road at Mesa College Drive San Diego 92111 (858)278-8961

Trader Joe's is carrying these frozen treats. I saw them being put into the freezer the Monday after Thanksgiving. $3.99 for a box of four. Pronounced "queen yamman". This pastry originated in Brittany, France; a popular Breton dessert.

These frozen treats are similar to the Trader Joe's frozen croissants (you have to proof overnight/6 hours and then bake). (That's a pumpkin croissant starting to rise in the background.)

The Kouign Amann will bake in its cup into crispy, sugary layers.

Not as many layers as a croissant, but like a croissant dough-with sugar between the layers. The sugar caramelizes and is crispy. I adore this basic, simple French dessert. That I can make it fresh- and one at a time- makes it perfect.

Rose Donuts, all the way at the West end of Linda Vista Road, near USD (NOT the location in the same parking lot as K Sandwich) is open 24 hours. (it's in the same mall as Ryan's). Rose's makes and sells wonderful croissant based sandwiches, grilled burgers, hot/grilled sandwiches, bagels, ice cream, a variety of beverages…and…not just donuts.

Oh, these two items are NOT the same. The larger one is your traditional 'apple fritter', which is, indeed, wonderful, large and filled with apples and cinnamon. The smaller one…in the front of the above photo…

An apple-blueberry fritter. Oh my, yes. A wonderful, surprising, fritter. Unexpected and great.

Rose Donuts 5201 Linda Vista Road San Diego 92110 ( 619) 294-8856

I hope everyone runs across a delightful surprise. Soon.