Chains – Page 5

2016 Rose Parade Float Decorating and other year end activities

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

I hope you are having a wonderful Season.

I Sometimes Make Questionable Choices – Original Tommy’s

July 23, 2015 mmm-yoso Burgers, Chains

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

You might recall that I mentioned how uninspired and unmotivated I was when trying to decide what to eat after returning from our trip in an earlier post. I mentioned aimlessly driving up and down Clairemont Mesa Boulevard with no objective in mind….yes, here I was…the Missus was working and I was just going up and down, back and forth….wasting gas.

So finally I made a choice.

A very questionable choice……..

It had been a while since I'd been to Tommy's and even longer since I'd actually had a chili burger.

We had an Original Tommy's down the street from us in Rowland Heights. When the late night munchies would hit; maybe once every couple of months, we'd go grab a chili burger. The Missus used to love the chili but it gave Her heartburn….I was fine. For some reason, I don't recall the chili being as bland and gluey as this. In fact everything seemed to have the same texture except for the tomatoes. I asked for extra onions and even that didn't help. It was like eating mush……. The best thing about the burger was the generic bun.

I'm certain that something has changed here….that or this location does something different from the locations in LA. When did the food here get so bland? Perhaps I should have gotten the Caliente Burger.

On the good side; this was like hitting rock bottom…….the only way to go was up.

Original Tommy's
7415 Clairemont Mesa Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92111

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

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

Seattle: Intrigue Chocolates, Sitka & Spruce, Starbuck’s Reserve Roastery & Tasting Room , and some Figgy Pudding

December 14, 2014 mmm-yoso American/New American Restaurants, Caffeine Fix, Chains, Chocolate, Desserts, Fine Dining, Seattle, Washington, Travel

The Missus felt refreshed after Her nap and I felt good after taking a walk around the Pioneer Square area.

Before heading off to Sitka & Spruce for dinner, the Missus needed a couple of gifts. Chocolate is always appreciated. I looked up a couple of places and found a listing for Intrigue Chocolate who specializes in truffles.

The kitchen, cum shop is located….well, I'll quote the website:

"The shop, which is also our industrial-style kitchen, can be a little tricky to find because we are not on the street level. Easiest way to find us is to find the entrance to Sake Nomi (Sake bar) and continue up the stairs. Then it's just down the hall which turns to the left, and we are the clearly marked brown door, third on the left."

The two guys running the place were so enthusiastic, they'd let us try everything if we'd been able to stay longer! They also make a nice cold brew concentrate as well!

Our favorites were the Juniper Berry and the Nutmeg & Chipotle.

We loved the place, they just seem to enjoy what they do…..and even though they currently use, high quality Belcolade chocolate, we were given a taste of a work in progress, the chocolate they are developing on their own. It was nice talking coffee and Belgian chocolate. We'll be back.

Intrigue Chocolate
76 S Washington St. Suite 104
Seattle, WA 98104

We headed back to our room, dropped off the truffles, and headed off to….

Sitka & Spruce:

**** Sitka & Spruce has closed

The walk was a tad over a mile, though the hills…..sheesh…anyway we did pretty good time, about 20 minutes to Melrose Market in the popular and trendy Capitol Hill neighborhood. We loved the setting; Sitka & Spruce is located in back of the brick building, understated, in that warm, yet somewhat industrial style, high ceilings, a large communal table, and open kitchen…..

The restaurant itself is not large; just a few tables, counter, and communal table seating. As is our MO, we try to eat early, before the rush and crowds. We usually get a better experience and the restaurant is able to do "it's thing".

My main reason for selecting S&S was the menu, which is nice and tight, focusing on seasonal Northwest products. We both thought the tapas-type dishes were much more interesting and we prefer having a tasting style meal. Our diet has changed quite a bit over the last couple of years and the small dishes at S&S seemed right up our alley. A variety of great local produce with interesting combinations of texture and flavors. So we were quite excited to try this establishment of the Matt Dillon empire.

There was one interesting thing about the beverage selection…..based on our dinner the previous night at The Walrus and the Carpenter and now Sitka & Spruce, it seems that Wine and Cocktails are still king for meals in Seattle. Which I thought strange since I usually see Seattle ranked in the top 10 beer cities in the US. Here it's nothing on tap, five choices Hilliard from a can or Rainier?

Whatever….I guess we'd just go and find the Stumbling Monk, or another place after dinner.

We started with the Charcuterie ($25)

While the air dried ham (aka prosciutto, though they can't call it that) was "meh", really bland and lacking in the deep cured flavor we love, there were some real winner here. The chicken liver, basically a a light, spreadable pate really caught me off guard, sweet molasses at first, giving away to savory, with that chicken liver finish. I'm not a big fan of metallic chicken liver flavors, though I love my pate's. This gave me a wonderful ride. The duck rillette had a tremendous almost condensed duck flavor. The head cheese was nice and balanced and the pork terrine was also very tasty. Loved the variety of flavors present here.

Next up Delicata Squash, Haloumi, and Pumpkin Seeds ($15).

We started seeing Delicata Squash on menus last fall. The Missus loves them; moderately sweet, with a nice texture, and an edible peel….heck, even I enjoy them. So it goes without saying the Missus loved this. I really enjoyed the combination of flavors, the nuttiness of the pumpkin seeds, the light subtle milkiness of the haloumi cheese. I thought the amount of nuttiness and milky flavors went beyond just the haloumi and pumpkin seeds. When I mentioned this to our Server, she also noted that the sauce was made of whey and argan oil. The mint also added another dimension of flavor…….

My least favorite dish of the night was the Charred Celeriac, Braised Quince, Ambrosia Apple and Bread Crisps ($15).

I really didn't care for the amount of almost tart-tannic flavors. The celeriac was lost in the dish. Tongue numbing and not in a good way.

The Smoked Potato, Pickled Seaweed, Anchovy, and Egg Yolk ($16), took me to that edge…..I loved the smoky flavor, the seaweed added a nice oceany brine, the anchovies were teetering on the edge of too salty, but that egg yolk somehow seemed to temper the salt.

I loved the smoked potatoes….why hadn't I tried that before? Smashed potatoes also seemed to be "the thing" in Seattle. The Missus said She'd have preferred bacon, but I told Her, "that would be so TGI Friday's". Loved the crisp skin on the potatoes as well. you can tell by the meal I made the day after we returned, that this dish made an imprint.

By far, the best single dish we had on this trip was the Hen of the Woods Mushroom, Guanciale, Oyster Cream, and Cider ($18).

My goodness, the earthy-savory aroma, meaty texture of the Hen of the Woods mushroom, more familiar to me as Maitake, was just superb. The sage along with the cider added an citrus tone, along with a hint of sweetness. The oysters in the sauce just took the flavors to another level. I'm not sure of the purpose of the guanciale as I couldn't make out any pork flavors. But who cares. In terms of an outstanding dish; this has our votes.

I realize that the dishes we chose and enjoyed at S&S might not be for everyone; especially the hardcore carnivore. There are 3-4 entrees on the menu any given night….this time it was chicken, black cod, and rabbit. I just chose dishes that best reflected the foraging background of Matt Dillon. I believed that this would be the strongpoint of the restaurant and it seemed that way to us. Our check came in at a bit over a hundred and it was worth every penny.

Sitka & Spruce
1531 Melrose Ave
Seattle, WA 98101

We were a bit too full and decided against finding a pub. But, as we headed back toward Pike Street we noticed a crowd of people being let into a building. We walked up Pike a bit, then headed back down. When we passed the building again, the Missus couldn't help it…..we had to go and check it out.

The place seemed buzzing….hip…..totally perfect for the Missus….totally wrong for me.

Arriving at the door, we asked the gentleman inside what was going on. "This is the grand opening of the Starbucks Reserve Roastery & Tasting Room, please come in……" Wow, it seemed like a big deal.

Just looking at the equipment, it looks like Starbucks is experimenting with going more high end.

I'm not the biggest fan of Starbucks….but kudos to them for seeming to ride the Third Wave.

This place looks fantastic and smells wonderful. Roasters were on hand to explain the different processes and equipment.

These guys really know how to market…….

Starbucks Reserve Roastery & Tasting Room
1124 Pike St
Seattle, WA 98101

Heading down Pike, we ran into the inevitable shopping crowds…..heck, Christmas is around the corner.

But the crowd seemed extra dense and we heard music in the air……and my goodness…Sugarplum Elves?

Well, it turns out we ran into the Great Figgy Pudding Caroling Competition near Westlake Center. Man, this was cute and fun.

This was the 28th annual contest and it was such fun. The proceeds goes to the Pike Market Senior Center and Food Bank. I'm guessing this is a good cause and event since even the Ferguson protesters we'd seen the night before decided to cancel their demonstration on this evening.

It's a fun event……all ages participate.

It's all these things that makes Seattle special for us….there's always an interesting surprise.

We talked about this as walked back to Whole Foods……the Missus wanted me to get in as much exercise as I could. This was the reason I was thinking of moving here before I met the Missus.

And while I don't think we could live here; it's a bit too cold, there's not enough Asian food within a 2 hour drive, and there's not enough sunshine. The city holds a special place in our hearts. So I guess we'll have to keep coming back.

Opposite Sides of the Street: Native Foods and Chicken Charlie’s FryBQ

December 8, 2014 mmm-yoso American/New American Restaurants, Chains, Vegetarian and Vegan Restaurants

**** Both Native Foods and this location of Chicken Charlie's have closed

I'm still a bit disappointed that all of that development on the corner of Genesee and Balboa has given birth to a slew of chain and chain like restaurants. Still, something did catch my attention which triggered off this Jungian inspired conversation from Kubrick's Full Metal Jacket:

Pogue Colonel: You write "Born to Kill" on your helmet and you wear a peace button. What's that supposed to be, some kind of sick joke?
Private Joker: No, sir.
Pogue Colonel: You'd better get your head and your a$$ wired together, or I will take a giant $^!t on you.
Private Joker: Yes, sir.
Pogue Colonel: Now answer my question or you'll be standing tall before the man.
Private Joker: I think I was trying to suggest something about the duality of man, sir.
Pogue Colonel: The what?
Private Joker: The duality of man. The Jungian thing, sir.
Pogue Colonel: Whose side are you on, son?
Private Joker: Our side, sir.

Two restaurants, polar opposites, one trying to place a large, wet, vegan stamp on the fast casual restaurant business, the other, a favorite among fair goers for frying just about everything, seemed to be wanting to place that stamp in our arteries.

You really couldn't find to more contradictory paths with the same goal….feeding the masses, it seemed quite appropriate that the businesses were across the street from one another. Since both were on the way to and from work and meetings, I thought I should give them a try. And you know me, it meant eating at both places multiple times. So here goes…..

On the North side of Balboa, Native Foods:

To tell you the truth, I'd been curious about Native Foods since I read Elmo's post on the chain over four years ago. Though, to be just as honest, I really wasn't excited enough to drive to Point Loma to try them out.

The set-up is totally fast casual…remove the tree hugger bright colors and this could be Tender Greens or Smashburger…..or any number of fast casual shops.

On this visit, things seemed a bit disorganized….the cashier was busy talking to her customer and going over things while two other girls just kind of milled around. It looked a bit strange to me….

Like I mentioned earlier, I'd been intrigued by what Elmo and his pals had from Native Foods, so I ordered the Native Nachos ($6.95) and the Native Chicken Wings – in Buffalo Sauce ($5.95).

The nachos really didn't have any mystery flavors, it was fairly straight forward. My complaints would be that the chips were stale and the "native taco meat" was like eating pieces of organic grit, being hard and dry. Everything else was fine if a bit bland.

The "chicken" was a bit too spongy for my taste, though the "Buffalo"….strange because even though it's the name of a city….it's also a name of a pretty tasty four legged critter…anyway the sauce had a mild kick, the batter was decent, but that "Ranch Dressing" was very runny and tasted watered down.

Not a great meal by any means, but not terrible either, so I returned a few days later. I feel kind of like I cheated here since I ordered a salad…..I mean, a place like this should make a decent salad, right?

What kind of drove me nuts this time around was that I saw my salad come up in the window. There were no other customers and I got it to go. The two guys; one of them obviously the manager were just shooting the breeze, so I decided to use a stop watch after watching this go on for a few minutes.

So, it took over 7 minutes for that guy to reach up and grab my salad which had been sitting in the window. Sheesh, with a manager like that, no wonder folks seem pretty lax here.

I had ordered the Mexican Cobb ($8.95) and I thought it to be a decent salad. The Native Chicken sliced thin with an "Ancho" BBQ sauce, which pretty much tasted like a regular BBQ sauce, no deep smokey-sweet chili flavors, though this was not bad at all. I guess thin slices of the stuff works best. The dressing did have a nice little kick. This was nicely put together, from the jicama to the corn, to the black beans. I'd have no problem ordering this again.

And yet, I kind of felt like I needed to try something a bit different. On my next visit, I again hit an interesting delay. Three girls at the front counter, none of them had access to the register. Common sense dictates that perhaps one should just take my order until they can find the person with the blessed access….but no, I just cool my heels.

At least there was no unecessary waiting for what I ordered, the Native Chili (cup – $3.95) and something the cashier recommended sinceI was just stumped, a thing called the Chicken Run Ranch Burger ($9.95).

Eating chili glue with a flavor that seemed watered down and bland is not my favorite experience. I'm passing on this from now on.

If you see this sandwich approaching you; run, don't walk away from it. Imagine biting into a mushy sponge with dry buns, and liquid that looks like it leaked out of coleslaw oozing out. This was severely bland and I didn't enjoy the textural experience either.

For me, it's the salads here……

Native Foods Cafe
5604 Balboa Ave
San Diego, CA 92111

On the South side of Balboa, Chicken Charlie's FryBQ:

I thoguht this a fairly interesting gamble for "Charlie". It's one thing to create fatty, over-the-top Fair Food. It's another taking that "fry everything gimmick" and having a brick and mortar shop.

I first went just a few days after opening at a bit of an offf hour so the place wasn't overly busy.

In a rather interesting coincidence, I ordered almost the same items as Kirbie did for her post. The Fried Avocados and a side of Fried Chicken.

I had fried several times here, so I'll just go over it once; these are very low quality bulk fries, lacking in potato flavor and kind of dry. The avocados were the favorite item I had here…….crunchy exterior, creamy avocado goodness….like eating crusted fat. Lovely.

The fried chicken were terrible.

These came out very quickly, so I think they were laying around under some heat source. The coating was soggy, grey, sloughing off like dead skin. The meat was cold to the touch and greasy in texture. It was also strangely under-seasoned for my taste.

The next time around I ordered the FryBQ Ribs, which was probably a mistake on my part.

These were hard as rock and the sauce was much to tangy and "dry", with a bit too much spice. You really couldn't taste any smoke or the ribs for that matter. Perhaps that was by design, but these were not my favorite.

Since I was working within the rule of three, I needed to revisit one more time. So I ordered an item that I enjy when done well, the Frog Legs. Frog Legs are a tricky thing, they go dry quickly if over-cooked. If not fresh, they turn a bit sour with a kind of mushy-sliminess to them.

I believe the photo to the right is pretty much my reaction to the frog legs. The fry job on these weren't good as the batter was soft and just fell of the beast. I'm glad the legs weren't dry, but the flavor seemed a bit off. Not even close to what I had at Red Rooster Catfish (which I believe has a new location).

And while I really didn't care for much of what I had here; I have to say the service was efficient. I saw Mr Boghosian follow up with customers who seemed ot waiting too long for their orders several times, which was a nice touch.

In the end, for a place that hangs its hat on frying, I thought the deep fry jobs were very uneven. Perhaps Chicken Charlie's forte are the fried sweets like oreoes and Klondike bars. I don't have much of a sweet tooth, so I'll leave that for others.

Chicken Charlie’s FryBQ
5407 Balboa Ave
San Diego, CA 92111

Summertime/Limited Time fast food treats

September 1, 2014 Cathy American/New American Restaurants, Chains, What Cathy Eats!, yoso-silly

Hello there. You have found mmm-yoso!!!, a food blog that shares random food-centric posts. Today, Kirk and Ed(from Yuma) are relaxing and researching. Cathy is writing.

According to the calendar, Summer is less than three weeks away from becoming Autumn. The Labor Day weekend is sometimes considered the end of summer, but food-wise, the stone fruits, ears of corn and tomatoes on the vine are still growing and available in the stores.

At some local and mostly chain restaurants, there have been some Summer-only treats which will be slipping off of the menu soon. We enjoy trying the seasonally special treats, enjoying the 'rare' rather than the 'usual'. Here's a small compilation of what was found this year.Stopping at the oldest operating McDonald's Restaurant, in Downey, which has a museum of McDonald's memorabilia, to try the fried apple pie once a year is a Summer splurge. At any McDonald's, the baked peach pie was a special item this Summer. Not only peaches, but a layer of cream cheese, which cuts the sweetness and adds a richness. A great treat.

Another note- ALL McDonald's have "Filet o Fish Friday" all year (not just during Lent) with reduced prices ($1.50) on those delightful sandwiches on Fridays. It's not advertised but usually the bottom item on the 'Value Menu', or just ask. Website

The Starbucks Window decals this Summer have been concentric circles, symbolizing bubbles. They have been advertising not only adding carbonation to ANY beverage (for a mere fifty cents) but also have had "Fizzio" beverages available in three flavors (root beer, ginger and ginger-lemon). All three flavors are caffeine free, hand made with a combination of syrups and the carbonation and contain cane sugar. The flavor is very close to Vernors Ginger Ale in taste point (not like Canada Dry or Schweppes at all). The root beer- you can almost taste each ingredient, from the cinnamon, nutmeg, molasses and anise to the vanilla. Very different and refreshing on some of our warmer/humid days. Also this summer, the San Diego area Starbucks were 'retrofitted' to display and sell (Starbucks-owned) La Boulange pastries. The stores just North of us began serving La Boulange more than a year ago. Some of the pastries are excellent. The ham and cheese and egg breakfast sandwich on this croissant-like bun is very good and different from the 'artisan' ham and cheese also available. Website
In honor of it's 50th anniversary, Del Taco brought back their 'Classics' this summer, and the **Bun Taco** revived a craving. I remember we purchased both a Bun Taco and a Taco Salad and ate those on the floor of our new home when unpacking from our cross country move…a 'California Meal', we said… Website

A new item available at 85C is a lemon iced tea, which is made with a whole sliced lemon. Ordered without any added sweetener, this is really tasty; both the tea and lemon are standouts. Website Jack In The Box had a few new items available. The 'croissant donut', made to order was so promising. As you can see, the texture is nothing like the ad. It was pretty much the churro dough fried into another shape, topped with the churro cinnamon sugar topping. Disappointing. The banana sundae though was very nice. A layer of banana puree topped with soft serve, hot fudge, whipped cream and a cherry was refreshing. Website Another cinnamon-sugar flavored dough was at Carls, Jr. The 'cinnamon pull apart' seems to be made of balls formed from biscuit dough (which is very good) rolled in cinamon sugar then baked into a large roundish shape. It tastes like something mom made at home with leftovers. website Rita's, an East Coast frozen custard-Italian ice franchise has finally made it to San Diego, opening five locations as of this date, with more slated. We've stopped at the Chula Vista location and have tried various daily-made ices as well as custards. So far, a gelati (layers of custard and Italian ice) made with Florida orange ice and vanilla custard is a favorite. The Swedish Fish flavor is really good too. I first found out about Rita's from cc , who has visited here many times since April. Website Paris Baguette has been having mid-month deals for a while now. The 11th of each month is interesting in that you get a fairly large container of pastry cream when you purchase a baguette. This summer, banana and pineapple pastries were available in a few variations; a change from mango everything I've seen around town. If it were the 12th of the month, pastries and desserts are 20% off. If here on the 13th of the month and purchase $10 of items, two slices of multigrain bread would be the bonus… Website

Waffles are becoming a 'thing' now; I could do a week of posts about waffle sandwiches. Vons grocery store has been selling 'Waffle Donuts' this summer. Kirbie and Mary each wrote a whole post about these waffle shaped, not donut dough-ed items which have been on sale, two for $1. The Mister brought these home…the glaze has the vary-ing flavors, the size was dependent on the glaze, the dough is not waffle, nor is it a doughnut…it confused me. Website Tastee Freez, located inside most Weinerschnitzel locations, has had daily specials for almost a year now. Since you never know when that might end, we tend to drop in for a snack. The pink dipped flavor is cotton candy, and it is surpsisingly accurate. The part carmel part chocolate dip is excellent. Mary mentioned the Tastee Freez items in her recent Weinerschnizel post. Website Northgate Gonzalez Market added a small booth in the center of the 'Deli' section, making Tostilocos and Raspados to order. For $1.99, ice is shaved and topped with your choice of concentrated, fresh toppings (prune, strawberry, pineapple, coconut, apple, jamaica and mango). I chose jamaica and coconut- there were fresh coconut shavings and the jamaica was not too sweet. Another refreshing treat. Website

It's been fun trying some new and limited items. I hope you've had a chance to partake before Autumn choices and coolness sets in.

The Food Court at Seafood City (Tapioca Express, Filipino Desserts Plus, Valerios and Grill City)

May 17, 2014 Cathy Chains, Desserts, Filipino Restaurants, Markets & Grocers, Stuff, What Cathy Eats!

Thanks for stopping by to read mmm-yoso!!!, a food blog. Usually Kirk is writing posts about food, but right now He is very busy 'researching' so he will have some interesting posts. Ed (from Yuma) is also in a 'researching' mode. Today, Cathy is writing.

More than 14 months ago, I started to write a post about an epic day of visiting a plethora of places to eat in Chula Vista with fellow food bloggers, cc, writer of Pink Candles at Ridgemont High, who has taught me so much and Dennis, who writes A Radiused Corner, another blog that is so informative as well as fascinating. That post seemed frighteningly long and I have left it 'on hold' for all this time. One of the places we stopped that day was the "new" Seafood City, on Orange at Melrose in Chula Vista.

This still is the newest location in the County (new in 2011) and since discovering it, The Mister and I shop here fairly regularly, always having a bite to eat in the adjacent Food Court area before shopping.

Yes, it's a Food Court with nice, heavy wood picnic table seating; so much nicer than plastic seating. Standard Filipino chains are here (I've posted on Chow King, in various ways more than once and Kirk has posted about Jolibee in various ways). The other places here are also interesting…

The colorful wrapped candies are pastillas and made with milk; a favorite.

Other desserts are sold here also. Mostly made with rice flour, I've tried bites of many of them at parties and visits with friends and really like the selection.

The steam trays here are fascinating.

As are the grab and go foods.

On a recent visit, we shared this ukoy (fritter)($2). Onion, potato, plantain and a head on shrimp, fried into a neat patty and served with black vinegar. This is a current craving.

We also grabbed one of these to share ($1)-the cashews are very good, crispy and the cookies were not too sweet. Filipino Desserts Plus Website multiple locations

At Valerio's, we bought this still warm bibingka ($2.50), a coconut milk/rice flour based cake that is baked inside a banana leaf. It's a special item for us. Valerio's Bakeshop, multiple locations, no website.

Almost every visit here ends up with something from Tapioca Express. Snacks of fried chicken nuggets, tofu and squid rings, seasoned as spicy as you wish and served with either ranch or sweet and sour sauce along with some sort of beverage is always a meal. Tapioca Express, multiple locations. Website

A more or less new addition to the Food Court is the freestanding Grill City grill (not in this photo) and steam table area. A chain, all locations are inside Seafood City stores.

Above, fried chicken skins, a pork adobo kabob and a whole stuffed squid. All are really good items; I am always up for fried chicken skins as a snack. Pay attention to that statement.

The squid stuffing is a wonderful mix of vegetables: tomato, onion and bell pepper.

On another visit, a slice of grilled swordfish and a grilled stuffed eggplant (inihaw) was our meal. So good and so fresh. The fish is served with a fresh mango salsa; a perfect condiment. (Prices for a la carte veggies are $3, $6 or $9, depending on size)(Prices for a la cart meat and seafood are $3.50, $6.50 and $9.50).

We enjoy this Food Court area and look forward to our drives to Seafood City market.

Seafood City (also a link to Grill City) website 285 East Orange Chula Vista 91911 (619)621-2050 Open 8am-9 pm daily

Lent 2014-observing an observance.

May 7, 2014 Cathy American/New American Restaurants, Chains, What Cathy Eats!, yoso-silly

mmm-yoso!!! is a food blog and usually Kirk, Ed(from Yuma) or Cathy write posts about food. Today, Kirk has been busy, Ed (from Yuma) has also been busy, so Cathy is writing a post to keep you interested in stopping by to read the blog.

This is an untimely post, since Lent (a solemn religious observance) is over and we are officially in the 'Easter Season', observed by Christians. However, I'd like to share my 2014 Lent observance, either as a prep for next year, or possibly inspiration for a snack you may choose sometime this year, since a part of the religious observance has to do with fasting/self denial/giving up certain luxuries. It's not like a New Year Resolution where you change habits forever, but merely have some discipline for 4o days, from Ash Wednesday until Easter Sunday.

Lent officially begins the day after Fat Tuesday, which, you may recall is a day of overindulgence. When I grew up (in Detroit), the local bakeries used this day to overstock (and use up) sugar, fat and jelly…it's called Pączki Day…

Paczki are basically jelly donuts. You can find them everywhere on Fat Tuesday.

Above is a photo taken on Fat Tuesday in the break room at the office where my brother works (in a suburb of Detroit). Every one of those boxes contains paczki.

To assist you in avoiding some of your indulgences, when Lent begins, most bakeries begin selling Hot Cross Buns, which are sweet, but not covered in glaze and instead topped with a bit of icing in a cross shape,

and filled with bits of dried fruit. The buns are baked, not fried.

Anyhow, as part of my bit of self denial, I gave up my newest craving, Butterfinger Peanut Butter Cups, (which are incredibly wonderful, and the first new candy by Nestle in four years).

In addition, another way that Catholics in particular observe Lent is "no meat on Friday", which does NOT mean eating vegetarian…it means you can eat seafood but not beef, pork or chicken. {You may have noticed, during your entire lifetime, that everywhere the soup of the day on Friday seems to be clam chowder. That's part of most restaurateurs acknowledgement of observant Catholics}.

You may have noticed many fast food restaurants offering fish sandwiches as an option beginning in March this year.

The Jack in the Box fish filet sandwiches (which were sold for $1.50 on Fridays only and regularly $3.20 the rest of the week) are quite large, trapezoidal in shape, served on a toasted bun with lettuce and tartar sauce. It's a great, moist fish piece with a crispy exterior.

Arby's (the Roast beef place) offered their Big Reel fish sandwich at two for $5 every day and it was served on a toasted sesame seeded bun. The shape-an elongated trapezoid (quite large as you can see) and the fish is particularly flaky and moist. This was also topped with lettuce and tartar sauce.

Beef n Bun always has fried fish on their menu (a 'tub of fish' (12 pieces)is $22). The sandwich ($3.59), served on that wonderful soft toasted bun with lettuce and tartar sauce. The fish here has a light and very crispy beer batter, similar to the batter used on the zucchini.

Of course, there are other 'no meat' meals I enjoyed. The fried tofu from Tapioca Express ($3.25), comes with a choice of dipping sauce as well as heat level of spicy powder. It's an easy and satisfying snack.

At many Vietnamese restaurants, you can order Bun Dau Hu Chien with Cha Gio Chay-cold noodles on top of salad topped with fried tofu and tofu egg rolls. Above is one of my favorite versions, from Pho Ca Do

Another favorite Vietnamese Bun item (also from Pho Ca Do) is Bun Tau Hu Ky- cold noodle salad topped with crispy fried tofu sheets stuffed with shrimp paste. It's a favorite all year, not just during Lent.

One day during Lent, my brother was here on a business trip and we met at Sam Woo, choosing the salt and pepper fried squid (in the back) and the shrimp with glazed walnuts in the center (the wontons-front right- had pork and shrimp as the filling).

I would be remiss to not include my favorite fast food fish filet sandwich, the decades old offering from McDonalds:Filet-O-Fish, which were offered for $1.50 on Fridays throughout Lent (and are about $4 every other day of the week all year) and still offered at that price on Fridays all year at some locations(look for signage). A soft steamed bun topped with a crispy fried square shaped fish patty, slice of cheese and tartar sauce.

A few other fast food restaurants also offered fish sandwiches which I enjoyed, notably Wendys and Carl's Jr. (not breaded/fried, both offer grilled fish sandwiches). I'll find those photos someday.

I hope everyone is having a good week; it's half over!

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?