Breakfast/Brunch – Page 30

P.L. Bagels (revisit featuring the Bialy) (Point Loma)

October 20, 2013 Cathy Breakfast/Brunch, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso!!! is a food blog. Kirk or Ed (from Yuma) or Cathy usually write blog posts here. Today, it's Cathy's turn.

I wrote about P.L. Bagels in October last year, promising to follow up with a weekend only offering- Bialy. This yeasty, baked and onion topped product is similar in size to a bagel (which is boiled) but takes a bit more time and so is specially made only two days a week. Since The Mister and I try to avoid crowds, we usually aren't at the Point on weekends, but if we (meaning He) wake really early, we do drop by here before our morning walk and indulge in this special breakfast item.

Family owned and run, there is a friendly, familiar crowd here, picking up pre-orders or riding bicycles up to the front door on a steady basis on weekends. The parking lot is small, but the lines move pretty fast.

The prices are the same as in my last post (mini bagels are still 35¢ each) and, as always, it is cash only.

There are various cream cheese flavors as well as sandwich choices, along with breakfast specials (bagel with butter or cream cheese or egg & cheese plus small coffee for $2.50, $3.25 or $3.99). The ordering system and food preparation is efficient.

Here's a photo of a salt bagel and a bialy, each toasted and buttered. You can see the chopped onion topping is just placed in a small depression on the top of the bialy, not overwhelming the bread.

The bagels here are not large and crazy carb filled, but a 'normal' (as found in NYC) size. Also, the entire bagel is covered in the various toppings (the left side of that salt bagel, above, is the bottom).

Here's a photo of the bottom of the baked bialy. You can see the texture is more bready than bagel-y. It's soft and chewy, but not as chewy/dense as a bagel.

Here's a photo from another visit, where I ordered a bialy with egg (no cheese) and The Mister ordered an 'everything' twist with cream cheese.

The wonderful bagels are made fresh here every day, and the doors open at 6:30 a.m. and close when sold out (around 1 p.m.).

We follow our bready indulgences with a nice walk around Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery, enjoying the views and paying respect.

Hope you are having a great weekend!

PL Bagels 3704 Voltaire Street, Suite 107 San Diego 92106 (619)223-4788 Open daily 6:30-1:00

Andy’s Coffee Shop & 2014 Rose Parade road test & Pasadena Farmers Market (Road Trip)

September 22, 2013 Cathy American/New American Restaurants, Breakfast/Brunch, Farmer's Markets/Night Market, Festivals & Events, Los Angeles County, Road Trip, What Cathy Eats!

Thanks for stopping to read mmm-yoso!!! Kirk and Ed (from Yuma) are busy busy busy right now, so Cathy is writing a post for today.

Yes, another road test for some floats that will participate in the 2014 Tournament of Roses parade was conducted on Saturday and The Mister and I woke early so we could be there at 7 a.m. Since this is a food blog, the first part of this post is about our breakfast that morning.

Andy's Coffee Shop is located on Colorado Boulevard; it's easy to miss (parking is in back and we are always looking for cars on the street to see if a place is open).

Inside, it's a step back to the 1950's. In fact, a few episodes of Mad Men were filmed here.

There are photographs signed by famous stars of the past. The large photos are of crowds camped in front of the storefront to watch the Rose Parade.

The Mister ordered French Toast ($5). It's made with fresh bread, unlike when we make it at home with days old bread. So very good- crunchy on the exterior and creamy soft on the interior.

I ordered a bacon and egg sandwich on rye toast ($7.25). Really really good and served with crispy hash browns.

This was a very good meal and we enjoyed sitting at the "U" shaped lunch counter in the center of the room, seeing the hustle and bustle of the workers: the booths and tables were taken.

Andy's Coffee Shop 1234 Colorado Boulevard Pasadena, CA 91106 (626)793-0825 Mon-Sat 7-3, Sun 7-2

Before our breakfast on this overcast morning, we were on Raymond Street

The colorful float with them "So Near and Yet Safari" is very animated with the gazelles racing, giraffes bowing their necks and elephant ears flapping as well as water flowing from the top of the 'rock' formation. Behind that float, you can see the "Banner" float- which will introduce the 2014 parade with it's theme of "Dreams Come True".

Here is the City of Glendale float, covered in its cocoon. Last month, it was only out of rebar and a lot of the design wasn't very clear.

The CIty of Los Angeles float was also in it's rebar form last month. Now that it's covered and partly painted, the details are emerging.

Above, you can see the City of Los Angeles float in its collapsed state (so it can fit into the Phoenix Decorating barn as well as under street and signal lights along the parade route) and you can also see the head of the Chinese dragon, which is painted with its colors and ready to be decorated. All items covering the float must be natural, alive or had been alive and in case glue fails or items are washed off by rain, you'll still see color when watching the floats in person or on television. I think it's nice that the dragon will be on the 'other' side of the float- away from the television cameras-people sitting on that side of the street sometimes don't get to see a lot of the float details.

After our breakfast, we stopped at our usual Saturday morning Pasadena trek- the Farmers Market, held in the parking lot of Pasadena High on Sierra Madre Boulevard.

You can see the cloud covered Sierra Madres in the distance…very overcast. That's the booth where we always buy a loaf of seed filled, corn meal bottomed rye bread for $4.75. It's so good.

This market is my favorite out here; it's busy and the vendors are knowledgeable and the variety is amazing.

We drive North on the 5 and home on the 15…where we passed a convoy of about ten Marine LAVs (Light Armored Vehicles; they float)…another Saturday of fun. Hope you are having a good weekend!

Roscoe’s House of Chicken ‘n Waffles (and the 3rd 2014 Rose Parade float Road Test)-Pasadena

August 20, 2013 Cathy American/New American Restaurants, Breakfast/Brunch, Festivals & Events, Road Trip, What Cathy Eats!

Here you are again, at mmm-yoso!!! the food blog. Kirk is really really busy today and so is Ed(from Yuma) so Cathy is writing about another one of her eating adventures.

It was a foggy August Saturday, The Mister and I woke before 4 a.m., let the dogs out, secured the house and started driving North. I'll start with breakfast (but really this was our fifth stop of the day).

Roscoe's House of Chicken N Waffles has been "pecking around since 1975" according to the signage. It opens at 8 a.m. daily and there seems to be a constant flow and lineup of people from about 8:25 forward.

The Pasadena location is next to a KFC, across the street from a Popeye's and a Church's- all chicken centric eating establishments.

We were seated at the second to last empty table, in the rear of a former Pizza Hut building. Decor is simple, with photographs and posters, many of the staff with President Obama, taken when he stopped here. The above photo is Louis Armstrong, New Orleans native and American Jazz trumpeteer virtuoso. His contribution to Jazz is unsurpassed.

Condiments on the table are simple and include Louisiana Red Rooster hot sauce.

The menu is very simple; only two pages. You can get eggs and call it breakfast, or not, at any time of the day.

The Mister ordered the C- 'Stymie's Choice': fried chicken livers, grits, two eggs (over easy and nicely runny) a fresh hot buttery/not flakey biscuit and gravy with onions. ($11.70). Each item was really fresh, flavorful and cooked in the proper manner.

I decided to try…the 13- 'Carol C.': a fried chicken breast and a waffle ($8.95). The waffles are made with Roscoe's own mix, are not sweet and have a bit of 'chew' to them…really good. The chicken breast was perfectly and freshly fried-crispy thin layer of nice flavored batter- and not dry. This was quite a bit of food and we took home some of the livers because there were so many.

I couldn't take photos of all the people inside and outside and so put my phone away. As I was pulling out of the parking space, another car was waiting…and as I started to drive out of the lot a BIG black horse, with noisy shoes, and a rider wearing a black cowboy hat came trotting at a fast pace toward the car, passed us by and continued. It was surreal.

So, earlier that morning -beginning at 7- were Rose Parade float road tests at Phoenix Decorating. Above, the 2014 City of Los Angeles entry. You can make out the Space Shuttle that was moved there last year. Some of the other details will become clearer at the next road test.

The Lutheran Hour Ministries float is all painted, so there's an outline for all the various dried and fresh items to be placed. I beleive the 'windows' will have a 'stained glass' look…You can see the church steeple is in its descended position- so the float can pass under the various signal lights, street lights and other obstacles along the five mile parade route.

The Donate Life float, "Light Up the World" depicts various lanterns. Seated on the float and walking alongside it during the parade will be families of organ donors and donor recipients. As you can see, the float was road tested with a full weight load on board.

Trader Joe's entry this year is titled "Relish Your Dreams", going along with the theme of the 125th Rose Parade, "Dreams Come True"…and this float seems to depict an old fashioned "relish tray" along with cheese wheels and wedges – and pickles, crackers, olives, honey and other snacking items.

Now, recall that I mentioned that the floats along the parade route need to be able to fit under signal lights, street lights, etc?

I took photos of the Trader Joe's float hydralics being tested. You can see the how the mechanics of these floats have to be in working order…

The doorway of the Phoenix Decorating Rose Palace barn is the maximum dimensions that a float can be.

The City of Glendale's entry depicts "Meatball", a bear that made headlines in that City last year.

This is the Artist's rendition of how the float will appear on January 1, 2014.

All in all, another busy and exciting Saturday. Hope everyone is having a good week!

Roscoe's House of Chicken 'N Waffles 830 N. Lake Avenue Pasadena (626)791-4890 or (626)791-5097 Website

Breakfast of Champions: Banh Mi Ba Chi (pork belly) from Cafe Dore

August 11, 2013 mmm-yoso Banh Mi, Breakfast/Brunch, Sandwiches, Vietnamese Restaurants

**** Cafe Dore has closed

Man, it been a couple of years since I've been here and even longer since I last posted on the place.

Not much has really changed here. Older gentlemen gather, have coffee, chat….and do guys gossip? For lack of a better word, let's just call it that. It's the coffee culture of Vietnam translated here….mostly men, each with his group. Hey, it's almost like high school huh? I'm thinking that it is….only the topics of conversation have probably changed, or perhaps not?

What really motivated me to visit on this bright Sunday morning was a conversation I had with FOY("Friend of Yoso") YummyYummy. Her dad is a regular here so she really has a inside track on the food. She told me that the pork belly banh mi…Ba Chi had really improved over the last year or so. Pork Belly? I'm so there…..

As I walked from my car to Cafe Dore, guess who I see? It's YY's Dad! It was nice seeing him. it had been a while. I told him that the reason I was here…..his daughter's recommendation. He invited me to have coffee with his "group"….very nice, but I had errands to run and food to prep on this morning. He also told me the Ba Chi here is "famous"….

I couldn't wait to have at it. So I opened it eagerly upon arriving home. It's pretty interesting, even though the bread for the banh mi here are from the same source as every other place that doesn't make their own, it's usually pretty fresh and flakey.

The pork was rather thickly cut, not a bad thing, and very moist. The flavor was pretty good, mildly sweet, with a slight swiney flavor. YY had told me that's it's getting better and I'll agree with that.

The pickles are a lot sweeter here than what I remembered and there was some major "jalapeno roulette" going on, with some slices being very mild, but a couple of slices were just explosive. All in all, a nice sandwich, one that I'll return for.

The service was very typical Cafe Dore, guys still play on those "machines" in the back….middle aged guys….hmmmm. It was a nice sandwich for a sunny Sunday….I'd like to tell you the price, but YY's Dad somehow paid for it without me even knowing…… Sneaky, but very nice, it made my day. Make sure to thank your dad for me YY!

Cafe Dore
4135 University Ave
San Diego, CA 92105

Feeling Lucky? Revisits to Lucky’s Golden Phenix and Pho Lucky

August 3, 2013 mmm-yoso Breakfast/Brunch, Diner, Pho, Vietnamese Restaurants

I didn't even notice the connection until I sat down and tried to decide what to write about tonight. As you can probably tell, by all my grammatical errors I do things "stream of consciousness" style. Most of the time, I have no idea what keys I'm gonna hit on the keyboard. The photos of my meals drive the blog post…..and apparently this one is no different! So here goes….

Breakfast at Lucky's:

**** Sadly Lucky Wong passed away at the end of 2024

There's nothing really outstanding about the food at Lucky's. SYSCO sausages, rehydrated hashbrowns…..though he does know how to get the eggs right for me.

The key ingredient, other than the really low prices….everything under five bucks, is Lucky himself. If this were a play, it would be a one man show…..on most days, Lucky does it all himself, serving, cooking, busing, all the while leaving us pearls of wisdom, some of which I've noted in my previous posts on the place. Yet, if you visit enough times, you'll start to notice the humble person behind all of this. You'll also start noticing other things……my buddy Candice noticed that Lucky has a thing about waste…..leave one piece of toast uneaten and he'll make sure you finish it, or take it home with you. Very telling…. As the Chinese Philosopher Cheng Chan-Pao said, "Know you that your bowl of rice each grain from hardship comes?"

Lucky's Breakfast (Golden Phenix)
3804 Grim Ave
San Diego, CA 92104

Pho Lucky:

I just recovered from a rather prolonged bout with laryngitis…I felt fine in the mornings, except for some major hoarseness, which kind of wore me down by the end of the day. All I really wanted was something salty, soup, and noodles. There were just so many times I could have ramen…..so one evening, the Missus told me She was craving Pho. It's strange, the Missus was never a big fan of Pho….but something changed this past year.

So we headed up to Pho Lucky and the Missus got Her bowl.

I was a bit torn, would it be Pho or my favorite Banh Mi Bo Kho. I really wanted the tendon, anise, and tomato tones of the beef stew, but I wanted noodles. The solution, Pho Bo Kho……

I'd always kind of avoided this because I thought it would be kind of a halfway, non-committal kind of dish. Which it was in a way….but on this evening, it was just what I wanted and needed.

Pho Lucky
9326 Mira Mesa Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92126

So whaddya know. I got "Lucky" twice in a row!

Loco moco (and other stuffs) for brunch at Fathom Bistro

July 30, 2013 mmm-yoso American/New American Restaurants, Breakfast/Brunch, Loco Mocos, Pubs and Pub Grub

About a week-and-a-half ago, I read that Fathom Bistro would start serving brunch, which usually wouldn't mean more than a glance. Except that I quickly noticed "loco moco" in that post for Eater San Diego. You know me; I'm always looking to add to my loco moco collection. I quickly sent Candice a message asking if having a loco moco here would be worth my while?

Which is how I ended up down on Shelter Island Drive on an overcast Sunday morning.

I think the location is really great, original, and quirky, as it's located on a pier, which on this morning was packed to the gills (no pun intended) with folks fishing.

Man, you really can't beat the view; which was really great even on an overcast morning.

There's an actual bait and tackle shop on one side of the building…..and it's a bit of a stretch to call this a building. The kitchen look as large as the dining area, which look like it somehow holds about 20. There are a couple of tables out front as well. I loved the collection of vintage National Geographics which took me back to elementary school.

Fathom has a nice variety of beers; but that's to be assumed with Dennis Borlek, formerly of Hamilton's and Monkey Paw in charge. The brunch menu is tight, basically five items, but it instantly earned my affection. In addition to a loco moco, they feature Eggs, Spam, and rice.

We started things with the Beignets.

It's fried dough, with powdered sugar, and chocolate sauce…….'nuff said.

We also got the Italian Sausage Biscuits and Gravy.

Truly, the best Country Gravy I've had in a while. The abundant chunks of house made Italian sausage added a nice mild spice and tons of flavor to the wonderful tongue (and belly) coating gravy. The only problem with this dish were the bisquits which were very hard hockey pucks. But hey, it's only the second day they've been open for brunch. Hopefully, they'll straighten this out. I instantly knew why I heard the word "hangover" bandied about in the dining room.

Well, since Candice knows everybody, Dennis came over to chat. Dennis is quite a character, very friendly, witty, funny, with a ton of stories to boot.

Which brings us to the loco moco. I originally ordered it with straight up and traditional beef brown gravy, but Dennis talked us into getting it "half-and-half" with half beef gravy, the other half Japanese Curry. At first I was kind of doubtful, but hey after having the Kaloko Moco who am I to criticize?

First off, the rice was perfect. The Japanese curry tasted like it should, though a bit runny. The beef gravy was totally by the book, solid in flavor and seasoning. The hamburger patty had a nice char , nicely seasoned, and was still moist. There was one problem with this for me. You can tell, can't you? The only way you'll get eggs here are scrambled…..and it's kind of painful calling this a loco moco without an easy over egg. Dennis told me that the eggs are pre-prepped to minimize stress on the kitchen. I'm hoping everything gets squared away and they start doing eggs to order.

Dennis mentioned adding Spam musubis to the menu. I mentioned Portuguese Sausage and he said it would be a logical progression since this was Point Loma and all. He also said it would be made inhouse. Now if that happens, I'll be sure to get there early! Because as time passed, more of those "hats and 'tats" folks started drifting in for their Sunday hangover remedy.

Next time you're fishing on the pier and get the munchies and perhaps a bit thirsty, Fathom is the perfect spot. Heck, the evening view of downtown San Diego must be pretty good as well.

Fathom Bistro Bait & Tackle
1776 Shelter Island Dr. (On the pier)
San Diego, CA 92106

Brunch served from 10am Saturday and Sunday only.

You know, it's kind of sad that I really never come down here and tend to associate the area with Humphries and tourists. There's quite a bit to see, like the Tunaman Memorial.

And other public art……

Now with Fathom, there's a better reason to explore the area.

Jury Duty Day: Ch-ch-chains – Breakfast at Specialty’s and Lunch at Tender Greens, Downtown

July 3, 2013 mmm-yoso American/New American Restaurants, Breakfast/Brunch, Chains, Salads, Sandwiches

Being sort of the old fart that I am, I clearly recognize the importance of that all important civic duty that is Jury Service. Though I don't think that you'd blame me for being a bit tired of it all after having jury service scheduled 9 of my 12 years in San Diego. Heck, I never got called once in LA and only twice after 30+ years in Honolulu! I'm especially puzzled since some of my friends, many whom have lived in San Diego for most of their lives have only been called once or twice, some not at all!

After entering the Hall of Justice so many times, you could say that the "bloom is off the rose". Falling off your routine and falling behind at work doesn't help your attitude, though this year I went with the mindset of making the best of things.

It used to be that I'd park at Old Town and catch the trolley, this year I walked to the bus stop and caught the trolley, though this meant leaving a bit earlier.

After taking so many turns at jury service, I'd been to quite a few places, from Grab n' Go, Currant (10% Jury Duty discount), to the food court at Horton Plaza(what was the name of that burger place that was in Horton Plaza for a blink of an eye?) , Rei do Gado, and Lucy's Taco Shop. You'd think I'd have quite a collection of posts….well, not quite. I felt somewhat self-conscious and, well, a bit weird for having to take a camera to jury service. But this year I had my iPhone, which looked perfectly natural.

I always go a bit early for jury service, this year was no exception. I decided to stop into a place I've been to before while performing my civic duty; Specialty's.

**** This location of Specialty's has closed

This 40+ location, fast-casual type chain was founded in San Francisco in the 80's. I like the fact that it has an almost fully functional Peet's integrated in the place. I don't remember the iPad ordering kiosks the last time I visited, but that was an interesting addition. I was just going to have a coffee, which you can just step up to the counter and order, but decided on getting something to eat just because……

I ended up ordering a Classic Egg Sandwich, customized with bell peppers and red onion, topped with swiss cheese.

It did look a bit too perfect and processed, but this was hot and fresh and the ciabatta was pretty decent. Nice mild milky tones from the Swiss cheese, though it had a bit too much black pepper for me.

I ordered a small Americano, which was pretty weak. After our recent trip to Europe, it seems that coffee in the states is too large, weak, and without character. And Peet's is one of my favorite chains!

Still, this adjusted my attitude, putting me in the right frame of mind for having to sit for who knows how many hours.

Specialty's Cafe & Bakery
101 West Broadway
San Diego, CA 92101
Hours:
Mon – Fri 6am – 6pm

And though I might joke about it, the Jury Lounge and process has improved over the years with wi-fi(on the weak side) and heck, they even changed that pitiful orientation video that looked like it was from the 70's a couple of years back!

Of course, during the whole morning I was looking forward to….well, lunch of course. I had just read in Eater San Diego that the downtown location of Tender Greens had just opened.

It just seemed like a great fit and was only two blocks from the Hall of Justice. So once the lunch break was announced I was off like a bullet. After eating at the Point Loma location a couple of times (you can read Cathy's posts here and here), I figured lunch at Tender Greens downtown would be a zoo.

I got there with just a couple of people ahead of me in line.

I got a nice laugh at the side of "Pardon Peppers", which had a nice poetic tie-in to my jury service, but I think they should probably use the correct spelling for padron peppers since they do claim to sell local produce.

According to what I read on Eater, the unique menu at this Tender Greens location is the Buttermilk Fried Chicken. I decided to get this in a sandwich with a side salad of arugula ($11).

I really don't think one should mess around with fresh, crisp, peppery arugula, and decently ripe tomatoes, Tender Greens really does a nice job here.

I thought the sandwich was over-dressed as my fried chicken got soggy pretty quickly. Bread to protein ratio seemed a bit too heavy on the carb side as well. I poached a couple of pieces of chicken when I sat down. It was nicely flavored and moist. I'd recommend on a hot plate or salad.

After reading the sign, I just had to have a side of those PardonPadron Peppers ($4):

This was my favorite item. While I enjoy padron/shishito grilled, which adds a layer of smokiness while further developing the sugars, this was quite nice. Perfectly salted and tender. Not quite to the level of melt in your mouth Padrons we recently had in Lisbon, but still darn good.

I gotta say that the speed while keeping a good level of service left me impressed. When I looked up from my meal, I noticed that the line was snaking itself around the block!

And while the dining room filled up, things proceeded smoothly, never rushed, tables getting cleared and folks actually having their waters refilled!

I think Tender Greens has a great concept and good food. If things keep this way downtown, who knows….

Tender Greens
110 W Broadway
San Diego, CA 92101

To kind of give you a clue on how quick lunch service was….jury service lunch breaks are long, at almost an hour and forty-five minutes. I had so much time on my hands I didn't know what to do. So I just walked around……here's a shot from Horton Plaza:

So for those who have jury service in Downtown San Diego; what's your pick? The jury-duty discounted Currant? A sandwich, maybe the Hall of Justice Food Court (maybe not….). Perhaps you've taken your chances and run down to East Village? Where do you eat?

Orange Blossom Cafe- a crépe and coffee in Solana Beach

June 7, 2013 Cathy Breakfast/Brunch, Caffeine Fix, Desserts, What Cathy Eats!

It's the weekend for mmm-yoso!!! and time to blog about food . Kirk is still vacationing as is Ed(from Yuma) and Cathy continues 'staycationing' around the County, writing about her adventures.

One late morning, The Mister and I drove along the Pacific Coast and slowed down just as we passed Del Mar. There was a sandwich board on the street…

and in the back of the parking area, we saw this Cafe.

We were in Solana Beach, the Cedros Design District (on Cedros Avenue). A few street blocks filled with businesses of design, art, photography, gift shops, consignment shops, furnishings, decor and dining.

Walking into the small restaurant (there is more seating outside than inside), we were greeted by the person cooking crépes behind the counter and started to look around.

The menu items are written on the walls.

After finishing making the crépes for another couple having a late breakfast, our order was taken. We were given our coffee beverage (really good coffee) and I snapped this photo of our crépe being made.

We had ordered the "Brie" crépe ($9.95). the description of Brie, Proscuitto and apricot jam was intriguing and sweet-salty seemed like something we would like to share.

I noticed two things happen after we ordered; the first was something being sprinkled onto the crépe batter as it was placed on the grill…second noticed was that the Prosciutto was placed onto the other crépe pan, and was warmed before it was placed into the savory-sweet crépe. Smart.

What I had seen being sprinkled was an evenly dispersed shake of herbes de provence; a perfect seasoning for just about everything… you can see it in the cooked crépe, along with some of the Prosciutto and apricot jam…{I later read the menu and found out that the sweet crépes have cinnamon-sugar sprinkled into the batter; that's something I haven't seen with other crépe places and quite special}

The there was the Brie, wonderfully melted throughout the other half of the crépe, making it a really perfect blend of flavors. This was worth the stop.

Orange Blossom Cafe 224 S. Cedros Solana Beach, CA 92075 (858) 847-3105 Website 8am-4pm Tue-Sun

2014 Rose Parade float road test #1-and quick breakfast at Lucky Boy (Pasadena)

June 1, 2013 Cathy Breakfast/Brunch, Festivals & Events, Los Angeles County, Road Trip, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso!!! is not only a food blog, but also a blog about events surrounding food adventures. Kirk and Ed (from Yuma) are both busy enjoying their adventures and Cathy is sharing her latest adventure, which involve a meal.

Yes, it's that time already. The Tournament of Roses has planned its January 1, 2014 Parade (with a theme of "Dreams Come True") and invited participants, who designed floats around that theme for the Parade and the renderings have come to life at the Phoenix Decorating Company's Rose Palace and seven floats had their first of three road tests early this morning.

When we arrived on Raymond Street around 7 a.m., the seven floats were lined up and inspectors were at each one, checking various hydraulics, mechanics and other safety items.

The City of Alhambra's 'Monster Truck' is taking on its basic shape.

The Rotary International 2014 parade float looks like it will end up being colorful as well as playful. Lollipops???

The Lions Club International is a small replica of "Matteo's Dream" , a park for children of all abilities that's in Concord, California.

The Kiwanis 2014 float, "Bridging Children's Dreams" has taken shape. The tree is in the position it needs to be in to be able to fit under street and signal lights on the parade route. The dove flying from the tip of the tree looks like it will be very colorful.

This is the rebar construction of the Shriners Hospitals for Children. Right now, it looks like a teddy bear wearing a cape, pushing off from a a heart at the base of his feet.

The Lutheran Hour Ministries float, with a theme of "Jesus Welcomes All" has this rendition on the internet. It looks like the fauna surrounding the church building will be quite large and colorful. The closer, more colorful float in the above photo is the Odd Fellows and Rebekahs entry. This view is the side the cameras won't show on television during the parade and it still is very colorful and detailed.

The floats took their turns driving down to the end of the street and turning around without incident and before 9 a.m., the frst day of road testing was over. Time for breakfast.

The Mister and I walked over the Metro tracks and one block North on Arroyo to a favorite 24 hour walk up and eat outdoors restaurant.

Predictably, I ordered our usual…

My lettuce, tomato and egg on rye toast ($3.25)…again, perfect.

The one pound three egg, hash browns and bacon burrito ($6.25). Served on the grilled giant tortilla, this was a huge meal. Which we shared…

You see, when we were awake and walking out of the house at 5 a.m., two of our dogs thought we were going for a walk…so we put them in the car and brought them on this road trip.

I hope all of you are having a nice weekend!

Te Mana Cafe- Aloha in a cup- Ocean Beach

May 29, 2013 Cathy Breakfast/Brunch, Caffeine Fix, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso!!! That's the name of this food blog. Thanks for stopping by. Kirk and Ed(from Yuma) are not writing today; they're both busy following planned events. Cathy is writing about another 'staycation' in San Diego.

The Mister and I drove West early one bright morning. We parked, walked down Newport Avenue, saw the Ocean Beach Pier and not many parked cars indicating any open businesses, so went back to the car and started driving around, seeking at least some good coffee and maybe breakfast.

We ended up on the West end of Voltaire Street and saw a lot of vehicles parked in front of this old Craftsman style home.

We parked in front of Litickers Market, an unassuming Liquor store that has a taqueria inside. (It does not open until 8 a.m. and we were there around 7 a.m..) Walking across the street, we saw this sandwich board…and a line of people inside the former family home of the restaurant's owners. Kirk, of course, is Hawaiian and would be able to speak about the authenticity of Te Mana; I've never been to Hawaii and just know what I've read. In any case, I must say the mood when you walk in is happy, friendly, laid back and we felt welcome here. The colorful atmosphere made us feel as if we were elsewhere and I would think Hawaii feels like this. Then there's good food…

When you walk in, there is a seating area to the left, complete with the fireplace of the home.

There's a coffee table with a bowl of Dove candy samples…an old coin operated phone on the wall…wonderfully healthy flowering plants…

To the right is another area with tables and chairs and accoutrement for coffee. (Along with more Dove candy samples…)

Straight ahead is where you place your order. Espresso machine to the left.

Menu on the wall in the back.

and—AND looking to your left and back toward the seating area- a pour over coffee area (cleverly crafted from an old skateboard deck).

We placed our order, including a 'regular' (drip) coffee- Kona flavor ($1.75) and sat outside in the front yard, which has plenty of seating. The Kona coffee was the best I've ever had. It was *fresh* and had a darker flavor (usually I think Kona is kind of 'hollow' flavored). Then the owner brought out a fresh made pastry ($3) (raspberry-almond; which was flaky pastry and a dense almond-paste-flavorful and quite large) we had ordered, along with our "pour over' cup of Ethiopian coffee ($2.95), which was *wonderful*…I could taste all the different spicy and sweet 'notes' of flavor. Worth it.

Soon, the owner's son (Te Mana is family owned and run) brought us our "Morning Mana" plate ($6.95). This photograph is not the best indicator of the size of the main course- it's a disk 4 inches in diameter and about two inches high- of scrambled eggs, basil and Havarti cheese. The amount and quality of the creamy scrambled egg mix and 'sides' of tomato, avocado, kiwi, strawberry and banana makes this a very hearty platter.

Here's a view of the front door when there were no comings and goings for a moment. Te Mana is another family owned hidden gem serving carefully prepared wonderful food and coffee. Definitely worth finding and a stop.

Te Mana Cafe 4956 Voltaire Street San Diego 92107 (619)255-9233 Website