Chicken Wings – Page 6

BB.Q Chicken Returns to Convoy

March 14, 2022 mmm-yoso Chicken Wings, Korean Restaurants

Back in the fall of last year B(est of the) B(est) Q(uality) Chicken returned to San Diego taking the spot of a Convoy institution Ichiro's. Now honestly, I wasn't all that thrilled as my experiences with the chicken at the former location. The chicken had a strange fishiness, that even the Missus could make out. So I really wasn't in a rush to check them out.

But then, my good "FOYs" Candice and "Xiāngjiāo" mentioned how much they enjoyed the chicken from bb.q; though that was tempered on the other end of things by my other "FOY" ChrisR who was kind enough to email me:

"Too much breading and not enough meat on the wings, though the proportion was okay with the legs. The soy-garlic sauce was blunt, overpowering, and, bizarrely, faintly sweet."

So, ok….looks like I had to check them out.

Just to be clear; each time I visited, I placed online orders……and each time I still had to wait when arriving at my given time; actually, on my last visit, I purposely arrived 10 minutes late….which made me worried about my wings just sitting cooling their heels….well, I guess chicken don't have heels…let's call it "cooling their metatarsals"….but I ended up waiting another 10 minutes for my food. Guess lunch business is booming?

On my first visit; I really wanted to "taste the chicken". That is, just breaded and fried without all the sauces and such. Unfortunately, wings were not available prepared that way, so I ordered the Golden Original Boneless (8 pieces $13.59). I also was curious about the Kimchi Fried Rice ($12.99). Man, almost thirty bucks for lunch!

I actually really enjoyed the Kimchi Fried Rice.

It looked quite dark and that egg was overcooked for my taste, though the edges were nice and crisp. I really enjoyed the smoky spice, it was nicely seasoned, good pickly-fermented tones and decent saltiness. This was a nice version that I'd gladly have again.

As for the chicken……

On the good side; unlike the chicken at the former "bb.q" there was no fishiness. The chicken was somewhat unevenly breaded, though it was nice and crunchy. In my opinion, this needed more seasoning as I thought it to be fairly bland and it seemed to have been fried fairly "hard" as the meat was on the dry side. At least it wasn't greasy.

The pickled radish, while a bit on the sweet side helped to cut the "fry-o-lated" flavors….

In some ways, at least in my opinion this was a much improved version of BB.Q Chicken. And of course, since I try to do more than one visit before posting, I returned and this time ordered the Ddeok-Bokki ($12.99) and got the Soy Garlic Wings (8 pieces $14.99)….man, who'd have thought we'd see the day when 8 wings cost like fifteen bucks???

As for the Ddeok-Bokki.

This was seriously not to my liking; the rice cakes were under-cooked and hard. I also like a nice coating on the Ddeok-Bokki, but this was more like a broth, which other than having some spice was really weak and watery. I'll pass on this in the future.

As for the wings.

The wings weren't evenly coated in sauce and I found the breading to be more hard then crunchy. The sticky sauce had barely any garlic flavor and was more cloying sweet than anything else. I'd prefer a more balanced flavor and more savory tones as well. The chicken, like on my previous order was also on the dry side. The drumettes were on the large side which threw off my preferred batter/skin to meat ratio, especially since the meat was on the dry side.

Still, my friends really liked this place so I decided to give them one more try. I wasn't in the mood to dish out thirty bucks for lunch so I just ordered the Spicy Galbi Wings.

Perhaps in some way, the third time was the charm. The wings were still more hard than crunchy, though the meat was quite moist this time around. While still being on the overly sticky and sweet side, things were somewhat balanced out by a mild spiciness and savory notes. Also note that the drumettes on this visit were on the smaller side which I prefer. So, if I ever come back, I'll try something inline with this flavor profile.

Overall, I find the breading on the wings here to be on the overly hard side. I also think the glazes used are on the sweeter side and lacking balance. Though I guess it's all about personal preferences. You just might enjoy the wings here like Soo does. So, give them a try and let me know what you think.

bb.q Chicken
4344 Convoy St.
San Diego, CA 92111
Hours:
Mon – Thurs 1130am – 9pm
Fri – Sat 1130am – 10pm
Suday 12pm – 9pm

Pacific Plate

December 13, 2021 mmm-yoso Asian Fusion/Pacific Rim/Hawaii Style Fusion, Chicken Wings, Plate Lunch

**** Pacific Plate has closed

Recently, I had to get some replacement parts for the Missus's camera. Andy at work, who's also a professional photographer recommended that I go to Nelson Photo Supplies in Point Loma. It was a great recommendation as they were amazing and it's always fun to see folks as nerdy about something as I am about food. Anyway, I was a bit hungry as I left and since I hadn't been in the area since before the pandemic, I thought I'd see what was up with Embargo Grill. Well, what was up with Embargo Grill was……well, they were gone! I guess they're another casualty of the pandemic….sad. Still, I needed something to eat and I noticed a place called Pacific Plate at the corner of the strip mall.

So I decided to take a quick peek inside.

And…..it turns out Pacific Plate does various plate lunches…many with names that reference various video games "Haduken" or animated series, "Kakarot"….though to be perfectly honest; a first glance I saw "Kaka-roach"….. Along with musubis and of course, the de rigueur poke bowls and such.

I decided to get a mixed plate….well, here it's called a "2 Item Plate" ($15). I walked up to the counter and the young lady…..well, she really wasn't into it, greeting me with a "yes". Anyway, I placed my order, waited about 15 minutes, the young lady plopped the package on the counter and walked away. Since I was the only customer in the place I figured it was mine and luckily I was right.

I had ordered the Teri Beef – Chicken Katsu combo; you get two "sides" with a plate so I chose rice and mac salad (of course).

Well, this was interesting; the rice was really mushy, the mac salad had too much mayo and lacked salt. The teri beef was the better of the two items; it was adequately tender, though quite bland. I had to use some of the watered down teriyaki sauce for more flavor.

The chicken katsu had been fried too long and the panko breading was really hard and slightly bitter. The katsu sauce is "local" style and ketchup based.

Pretty mediocre overall. Also, there were no utensils or napkins in the package……but I was having this at home so it was ok. Though I could imagine if I'd decided to stop and eat at a park or something, I would have not been happy at all. There was no sign nor indication in the shop saying that utensils would not be provided or that you had to request it.

I wasn't quite sure I was up to it; but since I decided to do a post on this place, I went ahead and revisited.

This time, the young man was very nice, he even walked out my order and handed it to me….and guess what, there was a fork included….though strangely, no napkins?

I went with the combo again and after giving it some thought, I decided not to get the kalbi….not a big fan of the "LA Kalbi" most of these places use. So, I decided on the Teri Chicken and Salt and Pepper Chicken Wings.

I decided against the mac salad this time around went with the coleslaw, which, while very generic at least had some flavor. The rice was much better this time around.

The salt and pepper chicken wings didn't hold up well during the 15 minute trip back home; it had gotten soggy and greasy. In terms of flavor, this was not bad, not overly salty. The garlic had been fried and mixed in with what looked like crisp panko. The wings could have used bit more spice.

The teri chicken was better, it was dark meat, so it had more flavor and was sufficiently tender, though, like the teri beef, it needed that generic teriyaki sauce.

For some reason Pacific Plate just didn't "scratch that itch" if you know what I mean. And at fifteen bucks a crack, well, I don't think the quality of the product nor the execution is particularly good.

If you do check them out; let me know what you think!

Pacific Plate
3960 West Point Loma Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92110
Hours:
Daily 11am – 8pm

Boss Bird Kitchen – B(efore)C(ovid), D(uring)C(ovid), D(uring)R(eopening)

July 14, 2021 mmm-yoso American/New American Restaurants, Chicken Wings, Sandwiches

**** Boss Bird has moved to La Mesa. This location is now Kusina

Here's a post that was 17 months in the making. Chicken Sandwiches…..especially Nashville Hot Chicken has become (yet another) fad in recent years. And back in February of 2020 Boss Bird Kitchen took over the spot that seems to be a revolving door of restaurants; being Capetown Bar & Grill, then Sarap, and finally Gaya Gaya before Boss Bird took over the spot. My first visit was in February 2020. I then did a takeout visit early in 2021. At that time, I wasn't even sure I'd be doing a post….until I decided to return last week. You can think of this as happening during three distinct phases in time, pre-Covid, during lockdown, and during reopening. It does seem to be much longer of a timespan then that as well.

The place looked essentially the same as Gaya Gaya, minus the interesting artwork.

I thought about trying the "Hot Mess" Chicken "Burger", but decided to just get the "Standard". Basically, buttermilk fried chicken breast sandwich. The size of the chicken breast filet was quite generous.

I did like the roll it was served on, which had a mild hint of yeasty sweetness and held up quite well to the sorta "secret sauce" (Thousand Island dressingish). The chicken was underseasoned for my taste and while it was quite a hunk of chicken it hadn't been evenly fried and also suffered from "chicken breast syndrome"……as it was on the dry side.

The portion of fries was also very generous; nicely seasoned, though it was also on the dry side and got rather soft quickly. Still for under ten bucks (at that time), this was a bargain.

Even though the price was right and the young lady working was so friendly, I didn't really have any intention of returning. Then came the lockdown and I was still working from the office quite a bit….I'd be driving past Boss Bird every so often and while they were open, it seemed totally dead. So, I decided to go ahead and place an online order. I didn't think the chicken sandwich and especially the fries would hold up real well on the drive back to the office, so I ordered the "Nickle Box" ($9) of wings. While driving over, I realized that it had been over a year since my initial visit.

Man, had the pandemic changed things! Things had been moved around and when I spoke (even with my mask muffling my voice) there seemed to be an echo!

My order was ready when I finally found a live human being……seems like everyone was in the boss bird "kitchen", so I cooled my heels for about 10 minutes. But all was well once the nice gentleman saw me waiting.

I wasn't overly hungry and this five piece box of wings, which came with 2 biscuits (I gave one away) was more than enough for my lunch on this day. I actually enjoyed the pickles the best.

I had ordered the Wings with Garlic Parmesan, but I think there was a "malfunction" somewhere as the wings seemed to just be plainly seasoned. Like my previous experience the chicken was unevenly fried and some of the pieces had rubbery skin and were on the dry side.

I wasn't a big fan of the biscuits which was too crumbly and not buttery enough for my taste. The person I shared the biscuit with said he could barely finish half of it……so I guess it wasn't just me.

And well, two visits in I guess I needed to get a post done, right? And on June 15th, San Diego was fully reopened, though I waited a while to return to Boss Bird. When I finally decided to return, it was just as the restaurant opened, early in the week. I had the whole place to myself.

The only other customers I saw during my stay were two customers doing takeout. And since I wasn't doing takeout; I decided to go with the "Hot Mess" ($11).

I enjoyed the chicken sandwich. This was by far the best item I've had at Boss Bird; a decent spicy rub, you can tell that this time around the chicken had been nicely fried. While it was still on the drier side, it was moist and tender enough for me. Like I said before; there's something about the pickles here I enjoy and the slaw, while quite plain really helped balance out the sandwich.

The fries were a bit thinner this time around and still nicely seasoned; though it's still on the dry and soft side for my taste.

Still, I'd have this again….one of these days.

So there you go. A post 17 months in the making.

For another view on Boss Bird, please check out Lynn's post.

Boss Bird Kitchen
7580 Miramar Rd.
San Diego, CA 92126
Current Hours:
Mon – Sat 11am – 8pm
Sunday 11am – 4pm

Saturday Stuffs – BBQ Chicken Returning to San Diego, Dogs & Aguas Coming to Linda Vista, and Other “Stuffs”

June 26, 2021 mmm-yoso Chicken Wings, Cooking, Hot Dogs, Markets & Grocers

Just a couple of things for another warm Saturday.

BBQ Chicken Returning to San Diego – In the Former Ichiro Spot:

**** You can find a post on BB.Q Chicken here.

I saw a sign over the former location of Ichiro's which closed at the end of January after over 35 years. I drove on in and was somewhat surprised…….

Looks like BBQ Chicken is returning to San Diego. I'm sure some folks will be happy…..I hope they've improved the recipe a bit as I was not a big fan of the chicken; at least when they were open in San Diego.

4344 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111

Dogs & Aguas Coming to Linda Vista:

I saw this sign as I was driving past Linda Liquor the other day.

Looks like something called "Dogs & Aguas" is coming soon. I'm assuming in the Linda Liquor shop?

I know our "FOY" Junichi lives in the area…..so perhaps he might know more?

6950 Linda Vista Rd.
San Diego, CA 92111

And to my surprise:

Early in the week I made one of my regular visits to Nijiya. Walking toward the market, I stopped dead in my tracks. You see; this is what the storefront looked like.

Anything look out of place to you? I'm not sure why; but not having the "line-up" area, the distancing spots, the attendant, and all the other "Covid set-up" kind of threw me for a loop. Shows how much I'd gotten used to all the precautions. It felt kind of surreal in a way as I'd gotten used to that set-up….was this actually happening, or was it perhaps a mistake???

This is how it was…….

I will say, that most folks are still wearing masks when shopping and there still social distancing when going to the cashiers.

Nijiya Market
3860 Convoy St Ste 109
San Diego, CA 92111

It's been pretty warm out there and frankly, I'm kinda tired of cooking, so we've been keeping things pretty simple around here……

We hope everyone is doing well and having a wonderful weekend!

Midweek Meanderings – Da Kine’s Landing in La Mesa, Golden Chopsticks Opening in Mira Mesa, Romeo and Julieta Sold, and Panda Country (Clairemont Mesa) Closes

April 14, 2021 mmm-yoso Chicken Wings, Chinese Restaurants, Hawaiian Food, Local Kine Stuffs in San Diego, Plate Lunch, Polish Food and Restaurants, Wine Bars/Wineries

Here are a bunch of updates for this Wednesday.

Da Kine's Reopening in La Mesa:

**** This location is closed and Nelson is currently only doing catering

**** Da Kine's has reopened in La Mesa. A post can be found here.

I gotta hand it to all the wonderful F(riends) O(f) Y(oso) out there, you are all an amazing bunch.

I noted that Da Kine's had cleaned out their Linda Vista location back at the beginning of March.

I instantly received a couple of emails…..when I went to Bay Park Coffee that weekend Noel came out and asked if I knew about Da Kine's moving….. Man, that "coconut wireless" sure works pretty fast, huh? Noel told me he had a feeling that Nelson would move his shop closer to home…he lives in La Mesa.

Move the calendar forward a month and "FOY" DerekR emails me with the screen shot to the right.

Not five minutes later I receive another email; this one from "FOY" Kerri who sent me an excerpt from Da Kine's Facebook page:

"Aloha Da Kine's Ohana! It's been a month since we've closed. We wanted to share an update with you.
Da Kine's has a new home! Our new location is off University Ave. in La Mesa. We're currently in the process of building the inside of the restaurant. Our expected opening will be mid to late summer 2021."

So, with Derek and Kerri already doing my work for me…..well, it's only right that I go check things out, right?

So, this past weekend I went to pick up some food for the Missus; She had something specific in mind for dinner after She got home from work.

I decided to Google some of those businesses on the sign and I headed off. Once arriving at the strip mall in question, I went ahead and opened up Da Kine's website to see if there were any clues…..and they made it easy for me with the new address.

And based on what I read….it seems that's going to be the new location.

I'm sad that they are leaving the neighborhood; but happy that they will keep the business going.

Call me a stalker or whateva', but I thought folks would be interested.

Awesome work Derek and Kerri!

Romeo and Julieta is sold:

The Missus and I were thinking about various Happy Hours we would like to go to once we're over the pandemic and Romeo and Julieta Wine Bar came to mind. I decided to check out the website and was sad to see that they had just closed, last day of business was April 11th, and the business has been sold.

Sad to see them go; but best wishes on their future endeavors.

4715 Monroe Ave
San Diego, CA 92115

Panda Country (Clairemont) Closes:

I stopped by Mister Falafel for the Missus a couple of weeks back. While waiting for my order I decided to take a stroll. I quickly noticed that the ABCDE Panda Country looked closed, so I walked over.

And sadly, the note on the door confirmed that they have closed….after 41 years. And while, like Troy's Family Restaurant down the street, Panda Country wasn't my cup of tea, it's sad to see a place that has been part of the neighborhood for so long close down. Much like the neighborhood diner, the local Chinese restaurant has always been part of the foundation of a neighborhood.

4455 Clairemont Mesa Blvd
San Diego, CA 92117

And Finally, Yes Golden Chopsticks is Coming to Mira Mesa:

*** Golden Chopsticks has finally opened – post can be found here.

And just to end this post on a high note.

After "FOYs" Elle and Sandy mentioned seeing the sign for "Golden Chopsticks" in the comment section of a recent post, well I had to go check it out. So, I dropped by during lunch yesterday.

And yes, right were I believe Payless Shoes used to be; in the mall that holds Target, Menya Ultra, Sandwich Emporium, and a host of others, was the Golden Chopsticks sign.

And soon enough, Eater San Diego confirmed that this is "that" Golden Chopsticks. So it looks like we'll finally be getting some decent Salt and Pepper Chicken Wings north of the "94". And while I'm solidly in the Royal Mandarin camp; I'll gladly partake of Salt and Pepper Chickens Wings from Golden Chopsticks.

8155 Mira Mesa Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92126

Thanks for the heads up Elle and Sandy!

And just for old times sake, remember this blast from the past?

Have a great week everyone!

The Lunch Special To Go from Bonchon (Convoy)

January 19, 2021 mmm-yoso Chicken Wings, Korean Restaurants

A few weeks back, I was craving some chicken wings; so I thought why not grab some K(orean) F(ried) C(hicken). It was lunch time and I decided to see if and how Bonchon was doing and was happy to see that they still did the lunch special for wings (8 Pieces + side, $10.95) and haven't raised the price, even during the pandemic.

I was quite impressed with the whole online process. I placed my order, got a text message letting me know when it would be ready. Right when I got to the parking lot, I got another text asking me to respond when I arrive. I responded and when I walking into the restaurant, the young man asked me my name and my order was right there. Really efficient.

I initially was just going to order the Soy Garlic Wings; but decided to give the Spicy one more try and got half and half.

I didn't order the Soy Garlic easy on the sauce; but it wasn't too over-sauced and sticky, nicely lacquered, moist, and retained a good crisp crunch without being too hard. Not overly sweet….though I could always go for more garlic, these are definitely my favorite at Bonchon.

I'm kinda giving up on the spicy….unlike on previous visits, the Spicy wings were actually spicy! However, I could not detect the savory, almost beany flavor that was present on past visits. These too retained a good measure of crispy-crunchiness and were moist. They seem to take really good care of the wings here.

I do miss the wing tips though; as it seems those aren't included on the wings anymore. I get great pleasure munching on those. It seems the drumettes are getting a bit larger….I prefer them a bit smaller to enhance the skin to meat ratio, but these were fine.

I got my usual accompaniment to these wings; the pickled radish, which was decent this time around, nice and crisp, though still a bit too sweet for me. It still does a decent job of restoring my palate after all the fry-o-lated goodness.

I was really tempted to do what FOY Junichi recommends when having these wings……go for a cold one; but I was still on the clock. Maybe next time!

The lunch specials are available from 1145am – 245 pm Tuesdays to Friday.

Bonchon
4690 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111
(858) 836-1287
Current Hours:
Mon – Thurs 1145am – 930pm
Fri – Sat 1145am – 10pm
Sunday 515pm – 930pm

Kanazawa Curry Rice and Nagoya Teba To Go From Yakyudori

December 29, 2020 mmm-yoso Chicken Wings, Japanese Restaurants

Over the last couple of months I've found that depending on the context and situation, certain words will bring on a sort of nostalgia….taking me back to certain places and times. I had been wanting to get dinner from Hinotez while it was open for takeout. But after outdoor dining shut down, Hinotez went into hibernation. One evening, when the Missus was working; doing a night shift to help out in the South Bay, I just went over to Yakyudori's website and found that they were doing takeout. And then I saw it…….Kanazawa, a city we enjoyed visiting, and of course Nagoya…..bringing back memories of having yakitori at the original Yakyudori and also Hinotez 2 there.

Well, I just had to place an order.

I placed an order for the "Kanazawa" Curry Rice and recalling how much I enjoyed the karaage curry version at Hinotez, got it that way. And also an order of Nagoya Teba as well. Things were ready when I arrived….I had been kinda leery of Yakyudori when they put the "tent" up for outside dining as it was closed on three sides, which for me is bad for ventilation. Now with outdoor dining shut down it was totally removed.

I unpacked upon reaching home and set about to devour dinner immediately.

This was quite promising as the curry was still hot and the karaage….well, I just had to try one, was crisp with decent savory tones….well marinated. It perfectly mirrored what I had when I did my Yakuyudori versus Taisho posts years ago.

I eagerly poured the very thick curry over the karaage and rice.

The curry was thick and beefy (a hallmark of Kanazawa style curry from what I understand), like a good ragu of sorts. While it could do with having a bit more spice for my taste, it was just like a wonderful hearty, beefy, curry gravy for the crunchy, salty-savory karaage. Every bit as good as what I had enjoyed at Hinotez in the past…perhaps even better; darker, richer….nearly teetering on "too much of a good thing" but I enjoyed it, especially after what I recently got from Zen Curry.

Sadly, the Nagoya Teba did not meet expectations. Even though it had held up pretty well on he drive home.

It was more crunchy than crisp; but was missing the distinct taste of black pepper, not enough sesame seeds, way too sweet; even with regards to Nagoya Teba.

But I really didn't mind, the curry was a winnah! And while we didn't have curry when we visited Kanazawa, we will be sure to try some when we get back there. And while those wings didn't deliver; heck, I was happy just to remember our trips to Nagoya and Kanazawa and all the great memories. And perhaps, for a moment, when dreaming of being able to travel again….there was a slight glimmer of light at the end of the pandemic tunnel…..one that I hope will be shining brightly soon.

Yakyudori
4898 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111
(858) 268-2888
Current Hours:
Daily 1130am – 2pm, 430pm – 8pm

It’s Fry-Day – Salt and Pepper Chicken Wings From Royal Mandarin

December 11, 2020 mmm-yoso Chicken Wings, Chinese Restaurants

Folks who've read this blog for a while know of my affection for Royal Mandarin's Salt and Pepper Chicken Wings. I don't have them very often, but it's a true guilty pleasure for me. And just the thought of not having access to it of plays that "mental" game with you…..yes, it's all in your head….but I recall having the same feeling when fire shut down Royal Mandarin at the end of 2009 (has it really been that long?) and having to wait six months until they finally reopened…..honestly, I've had longer periods of time between visits, but just the fact that you can't get something drives you crazy. Now I know that I could have gotten out of "my bubble" at anytime and driven down there….but for 8 months, even though we did takeout we limited our area. But finally, after both FOYs ("Friends of Yoso") Sandy and Junichi mentioned in comments how good those wings were and after returning from our roadtrip, where the Missus and I dined outdoors, I finally decided to get my fix.

RM opens at 9am….so at 9am, after finishing things up at the office, I called in for an order of S&P wings to go (for some reason I have the phone number memorized) and headed right down to the restaurant. Getting there right at 920, thinking that no one in their right mind would be doing ABCDE takeout at that time right? Wrong….

There were four parties ahead of me, each standing at the red tape "marker". Six people were waiting outside, well distanced, all had masks on. RM is currently only doing takeout. They had 4 people manning the elongated "counter" area and it actually took less than ten minutes for me to get my order!

Soon enough my entire car smelled of fried goodness….something that I would usually not enjoy, but in this case, it had been so long……

After plating, I sat on the back steps, Frankie wandering around somewhat aimlessly and had them wings.

It was just as good as I remembered. There are differences I did note. The batter these days isn't as thick, there's a bit more lightness to them, but the crispy crunch might be even better now. There seems to be less of the "secret ingredient", so no more "MS – heebie – geebies", but it doesn't seem to hurt the flavor. A bit more spice these days, but still pretty mild, good salt, and yes, there's still MSG, but I think it's used more judiciously these days. Of course, it could just be a case of "time makes the heart grow fonder".

And so, even though I still haven't had a sit down meal at a restaurant in San Diego since the middle of March; I did expand my range (I'm retiring that map). And so, thanks Sandy and Junichi, for reminding me how food can really bring comfort during these trying times!

Royal Mandarin Restaurant
1132 E. Plaza Blvd
National City, CA 91950
(619) 477-4151
Open Daily 9am – 10pm

Chef China (Spring Valley) Take away

December 2, 2020 Cathy Chicken Wings, Chinese Restaurants, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso!!! , the food blog, is sometimes written by Cathy and usually written by Kirk. Today it is Cathy's turn.

Even in the era of COVID-19, The Mister and I have kept up our habit of just driving and stopping when we see interesting signage. This storefront, just a block East of Grecian Cafe, across from Rana's and in the same mall as Fruity Loco (as well as kitty corner from the former Butler's, (which now has plainer signage of "Coffee Shop) has been located in this same space since at least 2006. Seeing that it was open (for take out only) and knowing that we were hungry..we parked and walked up.

There's a table at the doorway and you can order and pay, (although it did seem that most people were calling in orders). We were told it would be about 20 minutes, so we walked to Fruity Loco for a (tamarind) raspado while we waited.

Deciding to try an appetizer, nothing in that section of the menu looked interesting, but at the "Salt and Pepper" section of the menu were Salt and Pepper Chicken wings (six for $6.50, 12 for $10.60). What a great choice! Easily a meal, these large, meaty, garlic spiced properly fried (and still crispy after the drive home) wings were wonderful. The rice wasn't necessary, but used for a future meal.
My usual 'first time' choice at Chinese restaurants is the (Shrimp) Egg Foo Young ($10.90). There were three large patties, nicely crisped, filled with fresh bean sprouts and onion, cabbage and carrot. Apologies for no cross section photo. The gravy for the Egg Foo Young was unique and delicious. The sauce had large, juicy shrimp, celery and chunks of water chestnuts, making the whole dish filled with texture as well as flavor. Going for texture worked out well with the Shrimp Fried Noodles ($10.10). Packaging for take out is important and keeping the noodles crispy is necessary. The sauce had a different flavor than the one that went with the egg foo young. The broccoli, sugar peas and carrots were crisp and fresh (canned mushrooms and bamboo shoots, of course) and each flavor was distinguishable.

Plating at home with a bit of everything. We will be returning to this longstanding local restaurant.

Chef China 9726 Campo Road Spring Valley 91977 Closed Monday Open Tues-Sat 11-9, Sun 3-9 (619) 460-7286

I Finally Get the Chicken Wings from Nanay’s Best BBQ

October 19, 2020 mmm-yoso Chicken Wings, Filipino Restaurants

So, one of the folks I know who I know loves Nanay's Best BBQ sent me a text telling they had the Salt and Pepper Chicken Wings available. It was just after 10am and I had meetings coming up at 11. So, instead of heading to what would be my usual choice and headed a bit further down the road back to Nanay's.

I did notice they had a tray of Chicken Wings out; which were a lot darker than typical S&P Chicken Wings…..no spicy pork this time ("today is chicken….tomorrow we have pork" so I guess they alternate).

Frankly, I think I enjoy the spicy chicken more than the pseudo-sisig spicy pork. The chicken was more moist and tender. It also did better with the rather mild spice. I do enjoy the atcharang sili (pickled peppers) which really "wakes the dish up". Other than that; it's a basic turo-turo dish.

As for the chicken wings; well the three wings provided were still a bit crunchy; not crisp, more like crunchy. The meat was a bit on the dry side and there definitely wasn't that "magical crack-like savory-saltiness" of decent salt and pepper chicken wings, no hints of garlic either. I guess these were passable for steam table wings; but I doubt I'll have them again.

I guess I'm going to have to "bust out" of my Covid-19 range and head on down to Royal Mandarin.

Nanay's Best BBQ
6715 Mira Mesa Blvd
San Diego, CA 92121
Current Hours:
Mon – Fri 10am – 5pm