Burgers – Page 5

Farmer Boys- farm fresh food, not fast food (Escondido)

February 26, 2015 Cathy American/New American Restaurants, Breakfast/Brunch, Burgers, Chains, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso!!!, a food blog, tries to entertain and sometimes amuse you with almost daily posts centered about food. Kirk and Ed(from Yuma) are not blogging today; it's Cathy writing this post.

You've probably seen signage while driving along the freeway or along side streets. Perhaps you've been curious. Here's a post giving you reason to stop.

Farmer Boys first opened in 1981 in Perris, California. Founded by the five Havadjias brothers, the idea of 'Farm to Table' wasn't spoken of as part of the dining experience, yet that's been the business philosophy of this small (79 store) Southern California, Central California and Nevada restaurant chain of both company owned and franchised locations. Yes, it's a chain, but with locations primarily California, it fits into my 'new year resolution' of patronizing locally.There are two locations in San Diego County, both in Escondido. The 'newer' location, pictured above, is near a Home Depot and in the same parking lot as the Escondido Vallarta Market location.You walk up, order and pay and your food is brought to the table. The decor is country and home-like, as is your freshly prepared meal. The restaurant serves breakfast all day, and my go to item is the 'Daybreak Sandwich' ($4.19 or $4.99 with meat). Pictured above, the Daybreak with a sausage patty (other options are bacon or ham). It's on a potato bun and made with two eggs and a slice of American cheese. Good any time of the day. I really like the sausage served here; it's not greasy and has just the right amount of spices.The hearty pastrami sandwich ($6.99) is served on a toasted garlic ciabatta roll with mustard and pickles. The oven roasted, smoky pastrami is of excellent quality.

That's a 7 piece side of 'Colossal onion rings' ($4.19) [a four piece side order is $3.49 if you want to avoid temptation and/or can't do math]. Not only are those rings colossal in size, but also in flavor…the fresh hand battered rings are usually ordered with any meal here. The fry is perfect and never greasy. There are also zucchini and harvest fries available as sides; both are also excellent, fresh and never frozen.The menu has had a 'Natural' (hormone free, antibiotic free, fresh never frozen) burger ($6.29) on the menu for quite a long time. It's 1/3 lb, served on the potato bun (all other burgers are served on sesame seeded buns) with American cheese, onion, pickle and 1000 island dressing. Juicy and flavorful (and *much* better than the Carls Jr 'Natural'), this is my burger of choice here, even though the 'Bacon Boy' and 'Farmers Burger' are a bit heavier and larger in size, the Natural Burger has the flavor I enjoy.The Mister and I came here on a Friday and ordered the 4 piece hand battered fish dinner ($9.99) to share. Hand battered, wild caught, pollock filets (each filet was quite large; the above photo shows two pieces; one is butterflied so it would cook evenly. The photo above it has all four filets as it was originally served.) served with Harvest Fries, two onion rings,the garlic ciabatta bread, toasted…andyour choice of soup or salad. The soups are made fresh daily. The choices are almost always clam chowder or cream of broccoli. Both are excellent.

The menu has enough choices to satisfy almost any craving or dietary restriction. The shakes are made with real ice cream, need I say more?

Farmer Boys 1333 East Valley Parkway Escondido 92027 (760)739-0770 Mon-Sat 6-midnight, Sun 7-midnight Website

Prison Hill Brewing Company – Yuma

February 24, 2015 ed fromyuma Beer, Burgers, Pubs and Pub Grub, What Ed Eats -You too can be like Ed!, Yuma

If you are looking for something by Kirk or Cathy, today is not your lucky day. If you want to read a fairly long post by Ed about a new brewpub in Yuma, sit back, relax and enjoy.

The old town/downtown area in Yuma was economically devastated by the sprawl caused by modern roads and highways and the explosion of population in Yuma in the post-World War II era. When I moved to Yuma 15 years ago, the area was still pretty desolate – a lot of for rent signs, empty buildings and vacant storefronts. These days, however, the area is undergoing a renaissance. Not only are new businesses opening, but a lot of places – wine shops, restaurants, and galleries seem to be doing very well.

One of the newest additions to Main Street is The Prison Hill Brewery. Located next to Da Boyz on Main Street; you can enter via the front door:

or the back door:

There is a dog friendly outdoor patio area:

as well as a large dining areas with bars and table service. Here's the bar area:

The main room:

I have been wanting to post about this place since the beginning of January, but I have had other things going on and then it seems like every week somebody else wants to eat at Prison Hill Brewery, so I keep accumulating pictures. Today, however, I am going to put them all together and try and do a post with as few words and as many pictures as I can get away with.

All of the sandwiches and many of the entrées come with one or two side dishes, so let's start with sides. The healthiest side is the grilled mixed vegetables, crispy tender and lightly seasoned, here pictured next to the decent thick chips which are served with many of the sandwiches:

Maybe my favorite side are the Sidewinder fries:

Though not made on premises, these fries are some of the best in town because each end is crunchy while the centers are potato fluffy.

The coleslaw is spicy hot with mustard (and cayenne?) and is fresh and tasty:

I also like the sweet beans:

but I think the macaroni salad is a little bland. Others however tell me that they love the mac salad because it goes with the stronger flavored menu choices. To each . .

The appetizers are kind of a mixed bag. For example, the giant pretzels are outstanding – it'll bring out the German in almost anyone:

Likewise, the tortilla soup (often a special, and sometimes available other times) is an excellent version of this Southwest favorite:

Remembering the soup, the word abundance pops into my head. It was packed with tortilla strips, the tomato Chile broth was outstanding, and the toppings were attractive and tasty.

I was less impressed by the combination appetizer plate:

The pretzels were excellent, of course, but the pieces of fried chicken breast were just adequate, and the two kinds of meatballs ranged from pretty good to pretty mediocre.

Similarly the hummus:

There are a few things that I love as much as good Middle Eastern hummus with the natural flavors of chickpeas and tahini – San Diego has many good Middle Eastern restaurants whose hummus I love. Prison Hill’s dry version lacks soul, and has a background citrusy taste that I suppose masks the missing flavors and freshness. Not to mention the tired and doughy bread.

On the other hand, a bunch of us really liked the poutine (good food, bad pic):

Covering the Sidewinder fries with a dark guinness gravy and patches of melted cheese only makes them more irresistible – if somewhat less healthy. To be honest, I have no idea how this dish would match up to the real thing in Canada, but it works for me in Yuma.

My salad eating friends like the salads – they are not just some "healthy" item to balance out the menu. Our friend Stacy enjoyed the vegetarian Big House Salad, impressed by the freshness and variety of the greens:

Tina loves the Cobb salad here:

In this case, she added smoked tri-tip to her salad, but she was also impressed by the mixture of greens and insisted that I take this picture to show how abundant and fresh they were:

Speaking of the smoked tri-tip, smoked meats are the main ingredient in most of the sandwiches and entrées. Behind the restaurant stand two full-size smokers, so all the smoked meats are smoked on premises:

Two of their popular sandwiches are the Verdict (brisket):

and The Tip (tri-tip):

I actually preferred The Tip because it seemed to have more going on; The Verdict was just a bit drier. The smoked meats in both, however, were perfectly flavored for my tastes, smoky without being only smoky, if you know what I mean.With sandwiches like these, your results may differ based on which piece if beef was just pulled from the smoker.

The cold smoked turkey sandwich (the Jailbird) is excellent also with bacon, tomato, lettuce, and mild cheese, sort of like a smoky club sandwich:

Though not the best I've ever had, the pulled pork is moist, smoky, and porky and topped with coleslaw :

Sometimes, the restaurant has a smoked turkey leg, sort of entrée at sandwich prices:

Lauren thought it was really good. Similarly, one of my favorite dishes on whole menu is the entrée they call The Quartermaster:

Along with the sides, you get a perfectly smoked, moist, tender chicken leg quarter. I loved it.

Of course, not everything is smoked. They make a good chicken salad (here pictured on a sandwich, but perhaps even better on a salad):

(Sorry about that picture)

The menu also includes burgers, hand formed thick and meaty. The American classic is like nothing from my childhood:

And the Shank has a cheese and bacon stuffed patty topped with a deep-fried avocado (yes that's yummy):

When I finish a meal at Prison Hill, I usually don't think about desserts, but the restaurant does do churros:

and a sundae:

and my memory tells me that both were sweet and tasty.

How did I get to the end of a post about a brewery without mentioning beer?

Oops! Prison Hill currently brews several different beers, however their brewing process takes a month and their production facilities are limited, so that they offer usually only one or two of their own. However there is a varied selection of other specialty beers. My beer drinking friends always leave happy, sometimes very happy if you know what I mean:

There’s also an adequate wine list – for small brewpub. The service, occasionally slow, is very professional and sometimes downright friendly. Truth be told, this is a place where I feel comfortable stopping in by myself or with friends. I consider the prices reasonable: sandwiches and burgers (with sides) run $9-$13, salads are generally under $10, entrées range from $11-$14, and appetizers from $6-$12.

Prison Hill Brewery, 278 S Main St, Yuma, AZ 85364; (928) 276-4001. Opens 11 am daily – closes at 10 pm most nights and 2 am Friday and Saturday.

Clearing out the Memory Card: Do you know these places?

February 4, 2015 mmm-yoso Bun Bo Hue, Burgers, Chicken Wings, Filipino Restaurants, Japanese Restaurants, Ramen, Sisig, Vietnamese Restaurants

Here's a bunch of photos that have been languishing for a while. Not much else to say today!

And a couple more.

Hope you're having a great week!

JT’s Pub & Grill (Stadium area)(Grantville)

January 28, 2015 Cathy American/New American Restaurants, Burgers, Chicken Wings, Pubs and Pub Grub, What Cathy Eats!

Look at you, right back here at mmm-yoso!!! probably looking for food blogging. Kirk and Ed (from Yuma) are each busy with 'research' for future posts and Cathy is writing today, with 'results'.

Mission Gorge Road, just North of Interstate 8 is a mish-mash of businesses. Bookended by Starbucks, surrounding new and used car dealerships, banks, drug stores, numerous fast food drive thru lanes, a pizza parlor, sit down restaurants, a great vegan donut shop, as well as a Kaiser Hospital and Clinic. There are also more than several Purveyors of adult beverages which also sell food in this area of town.JT's is located closest to the Interstate, on the East side, just across from Rose Toyota and a few blocks South of Iowa Meat farms (sister of Seisel's Meats). The plain exterior is not a signal of things to come. The bar area has seemingly endless adult beverage choices, numerous televisions, seating and there are pool and ping pong tables in the back. There are several chalkboards mentioning beer specials, or you can ask. Menus are on tables. You walk up to the bar to order. Always on the lookout for specials, the back of the menu is usually what I read first.However, the bottom of the front page caught my eye on our first visit- beef from Iowa Meat Farms. Ground fresh daily.Here are the center pages, if you are interested. Don't pay too much attention though…the menu is going to be changing up soon. The same talented people who make the wonderful food I'm about to show you will be working on a new menu with all fresh (as in nothing frozen) items. Currently, the potstickers and fries and tots are frozen items. Basic Burger (cooked to a perfect medium rare, as I had ordered) ($8). Served on a fresh, toasted bun with crispy lettuce, tomato and onion, this is one of the best I've had in a while. It's 1/2 pound before cooking.Since it was a Monday, the $3 wings were calling. Medium Buffalo and Teriyaki were our chosen flavors this visit. The wings were meaty, fried crispy and the flavors not overwhelming (the Teriyaki was not sweet, a plus in my book).Another visit, on a Friday, had The Mister ordering a 16 ounce Cream Ale from (local) Mother Earth Brewing ($5).Friday Fish Sandwich ($6.25) was quite large, with the cheese melted into the bun, a nice touch. The fish was moist and the batter light, almost fluffy crispy. The cole slaw here is excellent, by the way.Sides can be fries, tots, slaw or a side salad. You can see fresh mushrooms on the salad, since they use fresh mushrooms for the beer battered mushroom basket. This visit, The Mister ordered the bacon and Bleu burger ($9.25). Again, the cheese melted into the bun-toasty bleu cheese…so good. You can see the bacon and now can imagine how good it was. It was, it was.

Breakfast on Sunday is a whole other post…

JT's Pub & Grill 5821 Mission Gorge Road 92120 (619)280-4698 Mon-Sat 11 a.m.-2 a.m, Sunday 9 a.m.-2 a.m. Website

Farmhouse Bistro – New in Yuma

January 22, 2015 ed fromyuma American/New American Restaurants, Burgers, Fine Dining, What Ed Eats -You too can be like Ed!, Yuma

After a short run, Farmhouse closed. Krouse's Flattop Grill is in the space now in 2016 and doing very well.

If you have visited here before, you know mmm-yoso is KirkK's foodblog, mostly featuring his wonderful reports on dining in San Diego and worldwide. Cathy helps keep the blog going and has an encyclopedic knowledge of San Diego eateries, particularly those that the rest of us might miss. Some days, Ed (from Yuma) will post about eating on his travels and especially about dining in Yuma. Today is one of those days; you have been warned.

The most exciting new addition to the Yuma dining scene is The Farmhouse Bistro:

Its location – set back from the street with limited signage and lighting – makes this a tough location and many eateries have occupied this site for brief periods since I moved to town, including Mi Playita, TJ's Marisquero, Viejo Loco, Small Fries, Rusty Spoon, and most recently Spanky's Chophouse. But long time Yumans know the location as "where Hensley's Beef, Beans, and Beer used to be," a steakhouse that thrived here for 20 years, 1979-1999.

The interior is small and simple. Of course, there are a couple flatscreen TVs and a bar area that can't yet sell alcohol:

But most of the dining area is filled with about 10 tables of various sizes, and the rustic painted walls are reminiscent of a rural farmhouse (and when packed at lunch, the room almost sounds like the mess hall at a ranch):

While the decor is nothing to speak of, the menu looked interesting right from the start.

On my first visit, my friend and former colleague, Dawn, wanted the lamb burger ($12), so I went conventional and had the basic burger ($14). Hers looked like this:

She said the flavor of the ground meat had a distinct lamb flavor, and she loved the brie cheese topping. My farmhouse burger looked similar and different:

I was happy. I loved the char from the grill, the medium rare doneness of the patty, and the beefy taste of the meat. The restaurant tries to source all of their meats and produce locally – if possible. Maybe that’s part of why it tasted so good.

We were both delighted by the french fries (and surprised as the menu had not mentioned that they came with the burgers). While not crispy crunchy, they were full of real potato flavor – clearly none of them had ever seen the interior of a freezer. People with more perceptive tastebuds may have detected the touch of truffle oil on the potatoes, but I was just happy to get real honest french fries.

On my next visit, I had to try the pork belly tacos ($12) –who could pass up Korean style pork belly tacos? There were 4 well filled tacos:

This close-up gives you a better idea of what is going on:

The thick chunks of pork belly were simply prepared; I could detect no Korean marinade or seasoning, but I was delighted by the smoky char of some pieces. The coleslaw with red and regular cabbage was lightly dressed and definitely not sweet or goopy. As far as I could tell, the only "Korean" seasoning was the ground red chili powder sprinkled over the slaw.

Nonetheless, I had no complaints. The flavor of the pork belly was excellent, and the preparation of the tacos emphasized the chewy, porky, chargrilled flavor of the meat. I would have this again.

Currently The Farmhouse has no liquor license, which is a bad thing for the restaurant I am sure, but it can be a good thing for customers because diners can bring bottles of wine (and maybe beer?) with them to enjoy – and pay no restaurant markup on the beverage. I'm not sure when they will get a liquor license, but let me suggest that my wino friends come try the bistro now when you can save money.

For those not interested in alcoholic beverages, The Farmhouse offers your standard choices plus this amazing beverage ($3):

What you are looking at is a glass of kale lemonade (no I'm not making that up). It is complex and refreshing and probably even healthy for you. Welcome to 2015.

Since two lunches had been a success, Tina and I decided to come by for dinner. We started our meal (after the kale lemonades) with the most unusual sounding item on the menu, fried pickle ($7):

The restaurant brines a range of vegetables – this night included green beans, zucchini slices, small cauliflower florets, sweet potato chunks, and onion strips – dips them in tempura batter, fries them, and serves them with their house sauce, a spicy teriyaki mayo.

Eating the fried pickles was a treat for the palate. Sour, salty, and crunchy/greasy all at once. These were definitely addictive, if a bit repetitive, and we ate every piece.

The main courses continued to challenge our taste buds and our expectations. Tina chose the diver scallops ($26), which were perfectly cooked – charred at each end and rare in the middle. But look at how they were served:

What a treat for the eye. The scallops were perched atop a mound of beet risotto. The little white puffs are goat cheese quenelles, and the mound is surrounded by a buerre blanc sauce.

And what a treat for the mouth. The riced red beets with rice balanced the scallops nicely and contrasted with the goat cheese much like the old school borscht/sour cream combination. Tina (with a little of my help) happily ate everything on her plate.

I chose the duck breast ($28):

The breast, topped with garlic lemon purée, was served on a bed of lemon risotto, accompanied by three superb giant fresh local asparagus spears. I love asparagus and it doesn't get any better than those three spears. Moist crunchy tender flavorful.

The duck breast was cooked a perfect medium rare:

I enjoyed how the chef used the garlic and lemon flavors to contrast the richness of the duck breast. Certainly the best duck I have ever had in Yuma. The risotto was perfectly prepared, the rice being both creamy and al dente. If I had any quibble, it would be that the lemon risotto flavors were monochromatic. While the risotto was a perfect match to the duck breast, it was less interesting by itself.

For dessert, we had wanted to try the grilled peach, but of course, peaches aren’t in season (even in Yuma) so we opted for the banana crema ($9):

The small mason jar is a nice farmly touch. The banana crema itself was the bottom half of the desert. A layer of crunchy banana flavored cookie crumbs separated it from the raspberry/banana flavored crema at the top. The desert was certainly rich and unusual. It was also nice to see cheese courses on the dessert menu.

For me, The Farmhouse has exceeded expectations. The menu is certainly the most varied and interesting in town. The kitchen can turn out a wide range of dishes skillfully. Farm-to-table ingredients – witness that incredible asparagus – should be a perfect fit for Yuma, at least in the winter. In addition, the place is well staffed, and the service on each visit has been professional and personable. Of course, The Farmhouse is in a tough location, and the menu with lunches or salads between $9 and $14 and entrées from $25 up may intimidate some folks, but the restaurant has been busy and I hope that Yuma will support creative quality cuisine.

The Farmhouse Bistro, 2855 S. 4th Ave., Yuma AZ 85364, (928) 276-9735; open11- 2, and 5-11 Tuesday through Saturday, Sunday brunch 9-1. Closed Mondays.

The Habit Burger Grill revisited – well sort of

December 16, 2014 mmm-yoso Burgers, Chains, Sandwiches

Well, no, I'm not making it a "habit" (pun intended) of eating here. The main reason for visiting the new location at that little corner of chain restaurantland….that would be Balboa and Genesee, was that FOY – Friend of Yoso, "SomTommy" mentioned that Habit Burger had a tri-tip sandwich on its menu in the comments of my Sweet and Savory Gourmet post. Sheesh, I hadn't even noticed! And being that the chain originated in …..Santa Barbara county, I thought it only right that I check it out.

Not much to say about the interior….if you've been in one, you've pretty much seen the whole spectrum of design and colors.

And yes, there was a Tri-Tip Sandwich on the menu. Which is what I got. It was nice and hot and served on a could have toasted a bit more french roll….lot's of bread on this one.

I'm not sure what to say about this……much like what I said in my previous post about the burgers, I've had worse and I've had better. The tri-tip was fine, on the tough side, straight forward flavors. The portion reminded me of their burger, thin and skimpy. The grilled onions weren't griddled enough. Not terrible, but pretty much….blah…..business as usual. This ain't nearly as good as Sweet and Savory about a half mile away. Though I prefer the French Roll to the ice cold ciabatta they serve.

I also got some onion rings, which were by the book.

Crisp and hot, these are about as good as thise gets. I prefer them to the fries.

Overall, I'll pass on the tri-tip, maybe it's time I try a burger again…..so I guess I'll stop by again soon since the prices are quite reasonable. Though I doubt that I'll be making a "habit" out of it.

The Habit Burger Grill
4175 Genesee Ave
San Diego, CA 92111

The Pint House in Yuma

August 16, 2014 ed fromyuma Beer, Burgers, What Ed Eats -You too can be like Ed!, Yuma

Kirk and Cathy get another day off – well at least a day off from posting here. Today Ed (from Yuma) is writing about a good place to slake a thirst in this desert community.

Being a very occasional blogger here at mmm-yoso, I sometimes feel plagued with bad timing. On two occasions, for example, I almost had a post about Mandarin Palace ready to go when the restaurant changed its menu or format, so none saw the light of day. Sometimes, I post about great places like Maria's Cocina, Mariscos El Navegante, or the crêpes truck that soon go out of business. While I was accumulating pictures of dishes at Grand China and then writing a post about them, Asian Star started up, took away most of the Chinese restaurant business in the area, and caused Grand China to close (It is now Yuma Palace). A while back I posted about Brewers, impressed with the six or eight taps of craft beer available there. About the time the Brewers post was up and running, the Pint House opened on Main Street and the beer scene in Yuma was transformed.

This recent beer list (August, 2014) shows why:

If you are counting, there are 52 taps of mostly craft beers, ales, and ciders. The list changes often, so if you see a beer that you've always wanted to try, you should probably order it because it may not be on the next list. Here's a Hoppy Bitch IPA:

A Kiltlifter Amber Ale:

And a Northwest Blood Orange Wheat Beer next to a Funkworks Saison:

This range of brews is truly amazing for Yuma, and the Pint House seems to be doing good business and keeping their beers fresh.

The bar and grill occupies the space on Main Street that was previously Carla Renée's and had been numerous other restaurants over the years:

Right next to The Old Town Wine Cellar, the Pint House is also accessible from Maiden Lane:

At that side, there is an outdoor seating area, not much populated during the days of summer:

The interior is nothing special:

The space is much like a sports bar, but patrons get to listen to music instead of blaring television sports commentary. In other words, it's easy to ignore the game/games and focus on the beverages and the food.

The menu includes numerous appetizers including some crispy crunchy fried calamari ($8.29):

Accompanied by a garlic aioli, these are a great beer snack – very crunchy, slightly salty, and not greasy at all. Of course, there is a lot more deep-fried crust than mollusk in each bite, so not my all-time favorite calamari, but still an addictive nibble.

Speaking of mollusks, another item we like as an appetizer is the pound of steamed clams ($14.29), drenched in a "boozy" garlic cilantro sauce accompanied with two large slices of crunchy bread:

The clams have always been fresh and not overcooked. The sauce is a little salty for my tastes, but it accents and balances the natural sweetness of the clams. It also makes a nice dipping sauce for the bread. (If you're looking for this on the menu, it is a "Pint House Signature" dish.)

The Pint House also has a range of salads. The wedge ($8.29) is a fine version of this old school iceberg lettuce treat:

Tina and I also like the garden salad ($6.29) – this is a split portion with ranch dressing:

Less to my taste is the side salad, here with the house raspberry dressing:

While the lettuce was perfectly fresh and cheese was okay, there wasn't much else going on in the salad and that raspberry dressing was nothing special. Truth be told, however, this picture is from several months ago, so it is possible that the side salad has morphed into something more interesting.

Alongside that ordinary side salad, sits one of my favorite menu items, the mushroom Swiss burger ($9.29):

The hand formed rich Angus patty is topped with melted Swiss cheese and generous layers of well grilled mushrooms. Very tasty.

Overall, I find the burgers and sandwiches to be the strongest parts of the menu. They all come with french fries or side salad, but you can upgrade to sweet potato fries or onion rings for a dollar extra. Here is a blackened chicken sandwich($9.99) with a side of onion rings (+$1):

Though the chicken breast slice was a little dry, the sliced tomatoes and avocados made this a good sandwich.

The onion rings, on the other hand, suffered from the same problem as the calamari – too much crunchy breading and not enough main ingredient. Each of those onion rings has one thin slice of onion only. Of course, the onion rings are great beer food; everybody loves hot, crunchy, and slightly salty snacks with beer.

On a good night, Tina and my favorite sandwich is the Cubano ($9.99):

A generous serving of flavorful shredded pork is enhanced with crunchy house pickles on top and a layer of cured meat (the menu says salami, but the sandwich this particular evening had pastrami:

Coupled with a garlic aioli on the top half of the baguette and mustard on the bottom half, the sandwich as a whole presents a very complex flavor profile – touches of smoky richness with contrastive tang and crunch. Really excellent.

The french fries, on the other hand, are pretty mediocre and generally soft, even though we ordered them extra crispy. Oh well.

Recently, the restaurant has added an extra page to the menu including items ranging from deep-fried bacon wrapped jalapenos to a caprese salad. Tina was instantly attracted to the blackened chicken salad wrap ($9.50):

This kind of chicken salad is the sort without mayonnaise. Served with a spicy salsa, it was basically a chicken Caesar salad wrapped in a flour tortilla. Tina liked it.

The Pint House also serves certain daily specials. A couple of times, I've been at the restaurant for Taco Tuesdays, where they offer a range of different tacos, including oyster:

The first time I had them, I thought they were incredible. The deep-fried oysters had been perfectly prepared so that their moist ocean funky flavor contrasted with the crunchy crusty batter. Even though the taco got pretty messy quickly, the flavors were amazing. Unfortunately on another occasion, the oysters were not as pristine, pushing that funkiness a little beyond pleasant.

On hotdog Mondays, a good range of excellent quarter pound all beef franks are served in a variety of ways. Here is a black and blue dog ($4):

Being old-fashioned, I had the chili dog ($4):

The chili was mildly spiced hamburger with onions and tomatoes, the whole dog topped with cheese and chopped onions. Maybe not the best chili I've ever had on hotdog, but the beefy sausage itself was excellent. And needless to say, excellent beer food.

The Pint House is a treasure. It makes me want to drink more beer – and clearly not just me. While the food items are somewhat hit and miss, a Yuma establishment with 52 taps, most pouring craft beers and ales, is a testament to the beer revolution that has been going on in this country for over 30 years. Sometimes my timing isn’t good, but The Pint House clearly has time on its side.

The Pint House, 265 S Main St, Yuma, AZ 85364, 928-782-0499, open daily 11 AM – 2 AM

Slides-all sliders all the time. (La Mesa)

May 15, 2014 Cathy American/New American Restaurants, Burgers, What Cathy Eats!

Slides has closed. It will be missed.

mmm-yoso!!! is a blog. Food is the primary subject. Kirk is vacationing on another continent, Ed(from Yuma) is working in another State and Cathy is in San Diego County, hanging close to home and being vigilant while adding words to photos.

I hope everyone is safe and keeping cool. The last few days have been horrible around here, both with heat and fires. As a diversion, here's a post about some quick visits to a small restaurant that's been open since October.

Located in a bend in strip mall (anchored by Subway and 24 Hour Fitness) on University Avenue between Pomona and Lowell (two blocks East of Yale), Slides is easy to miss.

Once you walk inside, you'll see it's decorated in the colors of SDSU and has a small menu on the wall.

Here it is. I think the oddball pricing has to do with some sort of lucky numbers or really is random, because it doesn't make the addition of sales tax result in even numbers.

The other side of the menu, with crucial factoids: daily fresh baked buns; house made pickles; 'secret' Asian seasoning.

At this meal, we shared an order of mixed (regular and sweet potato) fries ($1.98)(really good-both flavors; properly fried) and a Three-Pack of sliders ($5.47)(plus 28 cents for mild Cheddar cheese on the beef slider) {Total with tax was $8.41…oddball prices plus tax does not result in less loose change AND they don't accept tips!}. ANYHOW the color coded sticks are to tell you which flavor is which.

This is the fish slider. The fish is swai. It's half baked, then mixed with finely chopped onion and a 'secret' Asian sauce, some egg white then baked: no grease, no binder. Great flavor. This was a favorite of mine during Lent (and it still is). The photo makes it look kind of large, because it is kind of large. The fresh baked bun, lettuce, tomato, house made pickle and onions make a single Slide with a few fries enough as a meal.

Here's a blurry photo of the lean burger, topped with mild Cheddar and everything (as above), with a better photo of those wonderful slightly sweet/salty, crispy/crunchy house made pickles. Again, quite large enough as a meal. The beef is very lean and the beef flavor did not stand out on this Slide. There is a lot of meat, but I think the Cheddar is overwhelming (see last photo and description).

The veggie Slide (it's eggplant).

A lot of eggplant, sauteed perfectly and surprisingly flavorful. Seriously good.

The shakes ($2.76) are all made with the same vanilla base with a syrup added in and then mixed. As you can see, this one stopped just short of having its coffee syrup mixed in. The shakes are a good flavor and thickness, but a tad too sweet for me.

There is either a chicken or a turkey Slide centered in this photo. You can tell the difference when you taste (the turkey is dryer; both have good flavor). You can also see the 'secret' sauce in this picture.

Here's a double beef burger(additional 74 cents) topped with Monterey Jack cheese (28 cents additional). I think the cheese was not as overpowering a flavor, because the beef flavor really was shining in this serving of burger.

All in all, really good, fresh food, prepared to order, yet served quickly, by very nice people. This is one place I wish did have a Tip Jar.

Slides 7406 University Avenue La Mesa 91942 (619)461-4462 Website open 11-8 daily

House Burger and Farm Fresh Market (Nestor)

May 10, 2014 Cathy American/New American Restaurants, Burgers, Markets & Grocers

House Burger has closed.

Thanks for stopping by to read mmm-yoso!!!, our food blog. Kirk is excessively busy today, Ed(from Yuma) is immensely overwhelmed with his work and Cathy is indeed not without unreasonable overscheduling, but she is doing the writing for this post.

One beautiful day, The Mister and I found ourselves in the South Bay area of San Diego, driving about pretty aimlessly. We spied this small corner signage-"House Burger",

attached to the same building housing this small market. Both looked interesting, so we stopped.

Despite this signage hanging near the door, it seems House Burger has been here since at least June of 2012. (Here is a LINK to a post, written by cc that October (she didn't like it)-same sign.).

A very basic, limited menu. An open kitchen. We ordered, watched and waited.

Cheeseburger ($2.99) Free formed, very, very good coarse ground meat with the char from the grill. The bun was extremely soft/fresh as were the toppings. Turns out the meat, toppings and baked items all are from the Market next door…

Cheesesteak sandwich ($4.99). Thin sliced beef, griddled with onion, bell pepper and fresh mushrooms as well as cheese, all served on a soft, fresh baked, sub shaped roll. This version was large and *very* good. Again, the ingredients are all from the market next door.

The $1.59 side of onion rings. Whole (not chopped) onions in a crispy breading, fried properly. These were also unexpectedly freshly made. When we were finished, we had to go to the market next door, to see why it seemed so busy (and, you know, check out the prices).

It has many Mexican items, is not too large. The meat counter greets you when you walk in.

Good prices.There is a steam tray/to go area straight ahead with many interesting offerings and good prices (we will be back).

It's right next to the Produce area…

Notice the glass…The bakery, where tortillas are being made.

All next to a small (three doors wide, but quite tall) area of fresh baked goods. Everything we bought here that day was very fresh and very good quality. What a great find!

Hope you're having a good start to the weekend.

House Burger 1873 Palm Avenue San Diego 92154 (619)429-1195

Farm Fresh Market 1879 Palm Avenue 92154 (619)424-6779

On a beautiful day like today, why are you reading a food blog? Sichuan Liang Mian from Dede’s and Fu An Garden and one other you’re sure to know.

April 14, 2014 mmm-yoso Burgers, Chinese Restaurants, yoso-silly

Honestly……it's such a beautiful day, why would you read our humble little blog? I wouldn't blame you if you didn't….really! Plus, there's a Blood Moon Eclipse tonight.

Ever since Ba Ren closed, I've been looking for a good Sichuan Liang Mian, the wonderful, spicy cold noodle dish, which has become comfort food for me. It's a simple combination of ingredients working in harmony, creating a deceptively complex balance of the "suan (sour) – tian (sweet) – ma (numbing) – la (hot) – xian (salty). I had recently tried the version at Spicy City, which wasn't very good, so I thought I'd check out Dede's, it had been a while, and also Fu An Garden.

Dede's:

*** Dedes' has closed

Man, this was a total fail.

The noodles were mushy and the sauce watery and insipid. This had too much vinegar and in spite of the looks really lacked the spice…..probably because it was so watered down.

I've got another post on a better meal at Dede's lined up, but this was terrible.

Dede's
4647 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111

Fu An Garden:

*** 07/06/2016 Fu An is now Fuan Seafood

*** Fuan has closed

While the flavor was pretty close during my last visit and the noodles terrible, this was an improvement.

Looking at this…well, I had my doubts…too pale, too much peanuts, where's the flavor? But I was wrong, all it needed was a good mix. The noodles were vastly improved, though in our opinion, the flavor still falls short….not enough "ma", not enough "suan", not spicy (la) enough……just not enough. Sad really, since the chef here used to be the #2 man at Ba Ren.

Fu An Garden
4768 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111

In retrospect, perhaps just the simple item to the right will do tonight. The also deceptively simple hàn bǎo bāo. Might be nice to grab a couple hàn bǎo bāo from jìnchū……sorry bad translation, perhaps someone can let me know what it should be called in pinyin. Anyway, grab a couple and go watch the "Blood Moon"……. You know, there's a punchline in there somewhere.

Have a great week!