Italian Restaurants – Page 8

Rome: Santa Maria Maggiore, the Usual Suspects, and dinner at Da Danilo

July 11, 2014 mmm-yoso Italian Restaurants, Italy, Rome, Travel

Just about everyone I know who has travelled has been to Rome….really. There's so much to see….a bit too much…the crowds, the scams (impersonating police seems to be just fine with local authorities), the somewhat jaded attitude toward visitors….. And yet, Rome is full of history, chock full of amazing sights….

If I were to do posts on everything we saw and ate in detail….well, it would be too much. So I've decided to most of these as sort of a C(learing) O(ut the) M(emory) C(ard) posts and keep the verbiage to a minimum.

So, we arrived. The Leomardo Express from the airport is a total joy, like much of Europe, public transportation is excellent. We stayed at a "B&B" close to Termini Station, the one great thing about the place was the person who ran the whole operation. More on that later.

You know the Missus by now right? We dropped things off and were off to the races! With something quick to eat of course…

The Missus doesn't have the best sense of direction; so the thought of having a map in Her grubby little hands would usually send chills up my spine….not so much here.

You know how they say, "you always remember your first"….that really hit home as the first church we visited was Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore. My goodness……

It was indeed an impressive sight.

What was really interesting were the Chinese tour groups… they would often push themselves to the front of the line, trying to force themselves in front of everyone. It was especially bad at the Vatican where the guards actually had to push them back.

They often make interesting statements which would make the Missus crack up. Like when one of them said to another while looking at the statue of Pope Pius IX, "look, a statue of Buddha praying…."

One thing that really fascinated both the Missus and I were the Obelisks.

Each different….there seemed to be a story somewhere here….

06082013 1362 One could just wander like we did and find a church like San Pietro in Vincoli, which has the tomb of Pope Julis II.

Apparently, this work was by Michelangelo, what more can you really say? How often do you see a work by Michelangelo? Really?

The church also holds a relic of the chains that bound Saint Peter while he was imprisoned.

The sheer amount of art, displayed in sculpture, on canvas, and in murals is quite amazing.

There is of course, the Colosseum and the Forum, but for some reason the Missus wasn't interested in visiting either.

Her reason? Well, having visited the Colosseum at El Djem and having the whole place to ourselves, ditto our visit to Sbeitla (Sufetula) had provided the Missus with enough exposure…..

And then of course, there's Trajan's Forum…..

And then there is the "Torta Nuziale", (the wedding cake), also known as the Victor Emmanuel Monument.

The Missus loved the architecture….I thought it as being a bit too gaudy…..

Around the back is the Basilica Santa Maria in Aracoeli.

The view from here is quite nice.

We made our way back to our room. Max, the proprietor of our B&B had made reservations at a place I was just itching to try, Trattoria Da Danilo, which was a scant three blocks away.

We were warned about the "typical Roman service" which was pretty much isolated to the woman who seemed to run the place….in other words, we should be honored just to eat here.

There's a big push for the antipasto here…..as in a major Ronda Rousey armbar upsell of dishes…some of which were good….some not.

The fried dishes were cold and were not especially good…..

And then of course was what I really wanted….the dish that had me going, "oh my….." The Cabonara with truffle…..oh my, what can I say? The flavor of shaved truffle…perfectly al dente noodles. the restrained richness of the dish.

In the end, there was a payoff for me……. I was willing to endure the lousy service for the carbonara of my dreams. I guess we all have a price, eh?

Trattoria da Danilo
Via Petrarca 13
Rome, Italy

Noodling around – Revisits to Ristorante Kaz, Mien Trung, and Pho Lucky

June 9, 2014 mmm-yoso Bun Bo Hue, Italian Restaurants, Japanese Restaurants, Pho, Vietnamese Restaurants

I tried to get my fill of noodles before our trip; here's a rundown of a few of those revisits:

Ristorante Kaz:

It had been over a year and a half since I visited "Sakura's Son of a different Mother", the Japano-Italian Ristorante Kaz. I'm not super fond of that fusion. Though, while I thought having the same type of pasta for almost every dish a bit tedious, I did enjoy a couple of items I had. So I decided it was time for a return.

It's good to note that the lunch prix fixe menu still has a base price of $12 for a salad, soup, and pasta. There are upcharges for various substitutions for each course. This means that top price for the lunch would be about $18….kind of pricey.

I decided to try some of the substitutions this time around, starting with the marinated vegetables in the place of the standard salad, a $1 upcharge.

I'd say save your money here; this is more like a couple of grilled vegetables and one that should have been roasted (the red bell pepper), but was not, with some vinegar and olive oil thrown on it.

The potato soup ($1 upcharge) was not bad.

This version was a bit less thick and creamy, lighter in texture overall. It needed a bit more salt.

I went with one of my favorites here the Shishito Pepper and Mushroom with "Citrus" Flavor.

The pasta, as in my past visits was nicely done. I did notice some fairly significant changes; there was a lot less shishito and mushroom. I also think they aren't using much, if any yuzukosho, as I couldn't detect anything but a very strong and bitter white pepper flavor which detracted from the dish.

Too bad I guess. I will say that when I left the place was packed….with women and infants; the Japanese National version of "women who do lunch" with strollers, highchairs, and such. Perhaps they've found their niche. For me, it was just a bit too much carbs………

Ristorante Kaz
3904 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111

Mien Trung:

Yes, yet again, for maybe the zillionth time.

Mom was less heavy handed with the MSG this time around and the lemongrass flavor and the spice up front.

The Hen Xuc Banh Trang – Stir Fried Baby Clams with Rice Crackers was a spicy-peppery joy to eat. The left-overs come home with us and we eat it with rice the next day……I believe this was the last time I ate rice until tonight, something like 6 weeks!

Mien Trung Restaurant
7530 Mesa College Dr
San Diego, CA 92111

Pho Lucky:

Yeah, I know, yet another post on this place. This time was different though. We both thought they went a bit too far with the MSG…..I know that San Diego is notorious for glutamic overload, but this was the first time I noticed it here. I hope this was a one-off….otherwise I'll have to stick with the Bo Kho.

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

Sunday Sandwiches: Porchetta times two – Ariccia Market and Roseville Cozinha

February 24, 2013 mmm-yoso Italian Restaurants, Sandwiches

*** Update: Sadly, both of these places have closed.

A couple of porky sandwiches for a Sunday. I tried to make this a trio, but could never get to Bencotto on a day when they had the layered and rolled swine. I'm hoping to try it in the near future. Still, I did have two nice sandwiches recently.

Ariccia Market:

Well, being named Ariccia, the "home" of porchetta gives it away….you pretty much better have said rolled swine. There's actually a Porchetta festival in the town of about 20,000 every year in September. I had visited the market a couple of times before trying out the porchetta, I like the brand of French Harissa they sell.

Finally, a couple of months back, I had a chance to try the Porchetta Sandwich ($9):

I really enjoyed the balance of the sandwich, the moist pork worked well with the sweetness of the caramelized onions and the acid of the balsamic based sauce. The peppery-bitterness of the arugula really cleared out the richness and the lightly yeasty, almost rustically crackly bread made this a joy to eat. Nothing fancy here, just a combination of ingredients prepared properly, used in perfect context and proportion. Very nice. Consumed at 9 in the morning, it's a heck of a way to start your Sunday, I'll say that much.

Ariccia Italian Market
7441 A Girard Ave
La Jolla, CA 92037

There's one other tidbit about Ariccia you might not know. Ariccia has the distinction of being one of the places whose mention is banned by Chowhound. From what I recalled, this very sandwich was mentioned in a Chowhound post and the owner posted to thank them…and boom, any mention of the the place is removed by the moderators. I know, it's hard to believe….though CH does have a policy – noted here. I think the one thing that bothered me about the whole deal is that there's another restaurant owner, who has replied to posts on Chowhound, using his own name, defending policies, etc….. So he goes totally free while other one gets life in solitary. If you're going to have such severe policies, at least be consistent with them. 'Nuff said. CH has a way of being quite vengeful and condescending….it once called Ed from Yuma "one of those idiots and miscreants" when he questioned why a post was deleted. So I'm wondering what'll happen to me the next time I try to post on CH?

Roseville Cozinha:

About a week after the porchetta from Ariccia, we dropped by Roseville so the Missus could get Her cioppino fix. I hadn't realized that they had a version of porchetta on their menu as well. So of course I had to order it ($10):

In terms of heft and price, this was a nice deal. Even though the classic porchetta sandwich is a panini, I love the way Roseville simply salts, brushes with olive oil, then grills the wonderful breads from Con Pane. This ciabatta is no exception. The addition of fries made this a bit more than I could eat.

I can't say that the sandwich had the same harmonic balance as what Ariccia serves, but it sure did satisfy me.

Sadly, this was off the menu during our last visit….but hopefully they'll have it back on the menu periodically.

Roseville Cozinha
2750 Dewey Rd Suite 104 (Liberty Station)
San Diego, CA 92106

So there you go! Do let me know if you see more porchetta popping up elsewhere….so I can get my weekly dose of swine!

It’s soup weather: Mien Trung, Ramen Yamadaya, Sushi Yaro, Roseville Cozinha

January 3, 2013 mmm-yoso Bun Bo Hue, Italian Restaurants, Japanese Restaurants, Ramen, Vietnamese Restaurants

Is it just me, or does it seem that the weather's a bit colder this year? Brrrrr……. It's obviously time for something like this.

Actually, it's been a hot comforting bowl of noodle soup that I've been craving. My mother nce told me that during the her pregnancy she constantly craved noodles and soup. It's no wonder I was practically screaming for saimin from the time the pediatrician slapped me on the behind!

I've been purposely passing by the local bank every morning. They have one of those clocks-slash-temperature displays. The other morning; I go to work early, it read 39 degrees! 39 degrees! I won't vouch for the accuracy of the temperature, or time (it always seems off 2-3 minutes), but it did seem mighty cold…..especially for us wimpy San Diegans. Still, it wasn't like the hail and frost in Cathy's neighborhood…..but more than enough for me to start hunting down noodle soup! Here are a few recent bowls.

Mien Trung:

When it gets cold and I need a little kick in the pants, I go to Mien Trung for a bracing bowl of Bun Bo Hue. I believe I've hit just about every place that serves BBH in the San Diego area, and Mien Trung comes out on top.

The bowls do vary on visits. Sometimes it's more spicy, there are times when I find they've gone a bit too far with the MSG. But as whole, it always hits the spot. On this day, it was the normal scalding hot that BBH should always be to take care of the shredded greens and herbs, the MSG level was rather low, the spiciness on medium low………

And it was just right for me……..

I was also lucky that I wore dark colors…..no visible little red dots after slurping up those noodles!

Mien Trung Restaurant
7530 Mesa College Dr
San Diego, CA 92111

Ramen Yamadaya:

**** Ramen Yamadaya has closed

I had thoughts of going to Yakyudori for some ramen, but my last couple ramen visits haven't gone too well, and I wanted something a bit richer. It had been a while and since it wasn't a zillion degrees outside, I thought it was time for another visit. It's still fairly warm inside; great during winter, but I'm not too sure how things will be when summer rolls around.

Ordering for me was easy…well relatively, I do like the curry here, but it was a warming bowl of rick tonkotsu style ramen I was looking for. I'm not a big fan of the chashu here, but wanted to check it out again. I hedged my bets and went with the Kotteri Ramen, an extra "fatty", I like to use the word rich broth, with a side of kakuni pork. Slow cooked pork belly.

The broth had that nice tongue coating richness I enjoy….not greasy, but nice and rich. It also wasn't as salty as on previous visits. The noodles were too soft and mushy this time around….I'm toying with idea of getting them extra firn next time. The chashu is tragically tough, dry, and low on the flavor scale for me….better to go with the kakuni, which was unfortunately ice cold….guess I'll order the kakuni ramen, kotteri…..

I could go on a bit more….but I won't bore you with the minutae. It did the job, that's the main thing.

Ramen Yamadaya
4706 Clairement Mesa Blvd
San Diego, CA 92117

Soki Soba at Sushi Yaro:

**** Sushi Yaro has closed

My buddy Sam has ramen and all kinds of other stuff on the menu now. For me, the best noodle soup he serves is the soki soba, an Okinawan noodle soup, served with "soki", simmered spare ribs.

The only other version I've had of this; at an Okinawan Restaurant on Oahu was a bit different and yet the same. The noodles there were wide noodles; here it's udon, but was cooked perfectly. The broth like this was dashi/kombu based. I enjoyed the spicy vinegar provided, it help to balance out the broth, which teetered on the high sodium end. There were two riblets here, though they had pretty much melted to pieces. Still, I was surprised that Sam did a pretty good job with this….I'll have it again.

Sushi Yaro
7905 Engineer Road
San Diego, CA 92111

Cioppino at Roseville Cozinha:

**** Roseville Cozinha has closed

The Missus said I should give stew some equal time. I think She meant I needed to mention the cioppino She enjoyed recently at Roseville Cozinha.

She loved it……..it had a nice zing to it, but wasn't too rich. Well flavored seafood based broth too. Nice fresh seafood.

She enjoyed the simple, pure flavors of the shrimp in this as well.

But that's not a soup or stew so I can't count it.

Roseville Cozinha
2750 Dewey Rd Suite 104 (Liberty Station)
San Diego, CA 92106

So tell me….what have you been eating to keep warm?

Caffé Calabria (North Park, San Diego)

November 29, 2012 Cathy Caffeine Fix, Desserts, Italian Restaurants, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso!!! is a blog. It's a food blog. We (Kirk, ed (from Yuma) and Cathy, in a varying rotation) write about the who, what, when, where, why and how (in varying combinations) with a central focus on food. Cathy is writing today.

A few weeks ago, fellow blogger, cc and I met for lunch, which needed to be rearranged (here is a link to her post; my post will appear soon enough) and after a very nice lunch, we drove on 30th, to just North of University to Caffé Calabria for refreshing beverages.

You'll probably notice this fabric signage first. We walked in, noticed the wood fired pizza oven

which only bakes thin crust/Neapolitan style pizza (and calzones) after 5 p.m. Wednesday to Sunday.

You can select from a variety of available sandwiches, made on baguettes, foccacia or small rolls,

which will be heated for you if you'd like.

You can see one panino press to the right on the back counter; there are three total.

This is the view of the barista area from our table,

which was right in front of the coffee roaster, which was not roasting coffee when we were here. I would like to experience the smell of fresh-fresh roasted coffee. Many San Diego restaurants serve Caffé Calabria coffees, which I have always enjoyed.

Our order- a large iced mocha and a doppio macchiatto. The mocha -chocolate and espresso- was good and had enough caffiene to make cc hyper for most of the evening. The double shot of espresso topped with a 'kiss' of milk foam was deep flavored yet I could detect a sweetness to the steam pressured coffee without having to add any sugar.

Obsessing about what cc and I had experienced, I brought The Mister back for a quick snack the other day.

He ordered a "Hammerhead"- regular coffee with a shot of espresso ($2.50)- and I ordered another doppio macchiato ($2.60).

We also decided on two items available in the counter, which I asked to have warmed.

The Prosciutto Cotto ($3.25)-rosemary ham topped with Fontina cheese and black pepper. This was so good! There was quite a lot of ham, just enough cheese and the warming on the press made the fresh bread crust crispy on the outside, but the crust is thin and the bread was warm and soft on the inside. This was a perfect size for the two of us to share…

because The Mister had ordered this-a dolce-sweet. Nuttela con nocciola ($1.50)-chocolate hazelnut spread topped with chopped hazelnuts. As you can see, it was served on a small roll (with the same thin crust as the baguette) topped with powdered sugar. The nicest antithesis of a donut, ever.

I am sure we will be returning to Caffé Calabria to try the pizza and other available sandwich items. There are several other places in this old San Diego neighborhood which we found by simply walking around the block. I want to explore.

I hope everyone is having a good week!

Caffé Calabria 3933 30th Street San DIego 92104 (619) 291-1759 Website

Sakura’s Son of Different Mothers: Restaurant Kazu

November 20, 2012 mmm-yoso Chicken Wings, Italian Restaurants, Japanese Restaurants

I'll be the first to say that "Japano-Italian" cuisine has never been a favorite of mine. which I readily admitted when I first mentioned that Sakura was opening up a second restaurant, this one specializing in the Japanese-Italian hybrid. I've had this fusion several times, at a couple of places back home in Hawaii and at Spoon House and Akane Chaya in Gardena. Don't quite know what it is; but I've never really enjoyed Uni Spaghetti and such. So I really thought I'd just leave the posts on the place up to Dennis, who has affinity for this type of dishes. Sure enough, the ever dependable Dennis had a post soon after the very, very, soft opening. Which didn't make me get up and grab some napolitan….. Until…. a FOY (Friend of Yoso), "MichaelC" emailed me, telling me how he enjoyed his meal at "Restaurant Kazu". I call it that because….much like Sakura, the place has no sign.

I decided to visit on a quiet weeknight evening when the Missus was tied up elsewhere. There's just a simple chalkboard sign out front with today's specials.

The small dining area is somewhat intimate, mildly stylish, without being stuffy.

The menu reflects what's on the chalkboard outside with other dishes that I would come to know as the "standards" here….like the creamy uni spaghetti. Appetizers run $4-$12 with entrees going for $10 and up. The menu has been slightly different on every visit.

One thing that stays the same is the slice of bread and a little dish of balsamic vinegar with olive oil.

It's been basically the two same young ladies working here on all my visits. They are both friendly, have a great sense of humor, and are overall a joy.

I started with something a bit different I saw on the appetizer menu; the Squid Ceviche. This was a major surprise for me in flavor.

First off, the texture of the squid was up to Sakura standards. Light chew, but quite tender. The flavors took me by surprise, there was a bit of heat going on, along with a good deal of lime juice. It was a bit on the sweet side; almost palm sugar sweet, which I enjoyed. On another visit, I found it a bit too sweet, but this time it really woke me up. With the cilantro, it almost seemed like a Thai style dish, bold flavors, which I enjoyed.

I went with the carbonara, which was kind of runny.

I liked the portion size, not too massive. It was beyond any doubt, a carb bomb. The pasta was just cooked to perfection….something, along with all the dishes using the same pasta, I'd find on subsequent visits.

Overall, I thought this better than expected. It was a nice, unhurried, relaxed meal. The two servers were very friendly and answered, or tried to answer my questions….many of which, like "when is the grand opening" had no answer.

So, on another evening, I had to dine solo, what better place to go than back here, right? This meal was just the opposite of my previous, with the appetizer, the "Italian Chicken Wings" (you know me and wings, right?) being pretty much a fail.

This was too salty…even for me, it was also kind of greasy. One of the wings wasn't fully cooked.

On the other hand, I really enjoyed the Shishito Pepper with Mushrooms and Yuzu Pepper, Japanese style ($13). The secret to this dish….yuzukosho, a strong fermented paste of yuzu peel and chili pepper, which added a nice citrus zip to the dish.

The pasta again cooked perfectly, the shishito adding a nice crunch to the meaty mushrooms. Again, pretty high on the carb ratio and it did seem like something I could make at home, but I did enjoy it. Plus, that little seed, of using yuzukosho in a different way had been planted.

I again joked with my servers about the mysterious grand opening and when I was told that the place was going to actually have a sign, I couldn't help but laugh….I told them "I'll believe it when I see it."

A couple of days later, the Missus was tied up during a weekend day. On my previous visit, I was told that lunch is served on Saturdays and Sundays from 11 to 3. So why not? Same servers, same smiles, same laughs when I asked "where's the sign?" Lunch is prix fixe, in the typical Japanese "lunch set" way. You have a base lunch, which starts at $12, you can substitute items, or change items.

It comes with coffee or orange juice….I rarely drink coffee, but on this day……

It smelled familiar….and it did turn out to be Starbucks.

The standard issue salad was a simple mix of arugula and romaine, which I enjoy.

Except that the vinaigrette was a bit too sour and this would have been much better with a sliver or two of some milky cheese to help cut the acid.

The standard issue soup was a surprisingly tart minestrone.

The vegetables were really on the crunchy side, which I don't mind at all.

For my main, I went with what MichaelC recommended, the Squid Ink Pasta which was a $2 up charge.

This is sauce made with squid ink, not the pasta. The better squid ink I've had has a mild briney flavor to it, but not much else to it. This one had a slight bitterness and bit more garlic than I expected. It also felt a bit on the rich side, so I was glad to have the tomatoes in the dish. Loved the way the squid was cooked and the pasta was again cooked perfectly.

I also noticed that the portion sizes seemed to have gotten larger during this visit. Overall, it was nice lunch……so when Candice, Ange, Peter, and I had to meet up to plan a little project we have, I thought why not?

We ended up having more food than I could document….mainly because we had such a fun time chatting. The Shishito Pepper with Mushrooms and Yuzu Pepper was again a winner, along with the Cod Roe, Salmon, Roe, Shiso Leaves, and Seaweed Cold Pasta ($14).

Though I really would have appreciated a bit more ikura.

We also enjoyed the Baby Anchovies and Japanese Bell Pepper Peperoncino ($13).

Sort of like a really mild aglio e olio.

As you can imagine, having the same pasta got a bit tedious. Several of the other dishes really didn't make a great impression; the Bagna Cauda was bland, the ribs not very good, and the seafood in the vongole biagno was overcooked, the mussels rubbery. Service was very nice and accommodating. Candice mentioned that the wine list looked way over-priced (a bottle of Kendall Jackson $42!), and the beer options were either the Budweiser of Italy; Peroni, or Asahi, which is what we had.

Oh, and still no grand opening or sign in sight! I realize that for someone who is not really into Japano-Italian food, I've sure eaten here quite a bit in the last couple of months. You can't say I didn't do my due diligence on this one. I do enjoy the lightness of some of the dishes, have enjoyed the servers, oh, and you can tell I really like my carbs, right? Don't go here expecting a meat-fest, you'll be disappointed. The portion sizes seem to have gotten bigger, though I think they can cut back on the pasta and make the dishes more well rounded.

Restaurant Kazu
3904 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111
Current Hours:
Dinner – Tues-Sun 5pm – 10pm
Lunch – Sat-Sun 11am – 3pm
Closed on Mondays

Thanks again for the email Michael!

A “New School”, “Old School” Night Part 2: Old School – Baci Ristoranti and a surprise finish

October 11, 2012 mmm-yoso Italian Restaurants, Pubs and Pub Grub

After having drinks and appetizers at Luce, we headed next door to the "all grown up place", Baci. From the loud and boisterous, to the sedate and quite…..from stool around the bar to lounges, in what else, the small lounge. From tattooed staff to Servers in faux Tuxedos….

The friendly maitre'd….ok, when was the last time Ieven used the word maitre'd? The rather darkish lighting, the slightly formal but not stuffy service, the backlit sculpture of the torso of perhaps Venus de Milo in the background….there's some charm to this in our all Twitter…facebook…what's the latest fad/food truck/trend by the minute world we live in.

All of this calm was brought to you by the surroundings…and a Negroni or two….

The menu is full of old school Italian…. Linguine alle Vongole, check, Vitello Parmigiana…check, and of course Osso Bucco is a must, right?

And yet, there are some interesting items on the menu…….like the local sea urchin.

Hey, it's local uni and they didn't mess with it…….

I followed this up with the Braised Lamb Shank over Truffle Risotto ($28.95).

This was pretty much by-the-book, not heavily seasoned, the lamb wasn't over-cooked, nor tough, with that nice flavor of the pasture. The risotto had a decent texture, soft through and through. I do prefer my risotto a bit more "wet" and the "truffle" (really in quotations there) scent or flavor was really hard to make out.

Some of the other dishes I got to try. Candice's uni pasta was really garlic heavy, you really couldn't make out much of the uni taste, nor was it moist enough. Uni pasta is not my favorite thing, so take it for what it's worth. I thought the best item I tasted was JohnL's Pappardelle alla Tartuffo. The lamb ragu was full flavored and you could actually make out the flavor of truffles in this dish. The pasta was cooked perfectly as well.

While I still can't really recommend any place in San Diego for Italian cuisine, Baci was perfect for this evening with friends. It's an interesting look into what we considered fine dining when I was growing up and that doesn't get old as quickly as I am.

Baci Ristorante
1955 Morena Blvd
San Diego, CA 92110

After dinner, Candice had one last surprise up her sleeve…..we went for drinks and the place we visited was packed. With folks over 60….who were just having a blast. The only seats available were at the piano bar.

Paintings of topless maidens from who knows when adorn the walls. There's a bit of a legend going around that these were paintings of actual Pan-Am Stewardesses from way back when….don't know about that, but it's a great story. I'd watch as a woman, probably in her late sixties would slowly walk up to the mic to sing at the piano bar…and my goodness, the voice! You could tell she/they were in their element as it would seem that years would slowly melt away and the clock would be turned back a bit. Friends and couples who knew each other for years, or perhaps minutes, would dance in the small area near the bar. All of this was happening while dinner service for what seemed to be tourists and visitors staying at the attached Travelodge was taking place inches away!

Then there was JohnL, who in spite of where we told him we were eating, decided to wear a v-neck t-shirt and jeans. Anyway, John is hunched over the piano bar, so naturally his shirt is hiked up…he's doing his best imitation of a plumber, if you know what I mean. So a sprightly octogenarian walks by, grabs his you-know-what, and tells him "your a$$ is sticking out!" We almost fell off our seats! Heck, JohnL could have had his hands full with…well, what's older than a Cougar? A sabretooth??? Whatever, we had a great time, it was wonderful seeing folks enjoying themselves. A bit later on in the evening, the hipsters start arriving and it gets a bit strange. Thanks to Candice, I got to see a part of San Diego I hadn't seen before. And it was a bit surprising because I've driven past here thousands of times.

This was the kind of place my Dad loved….and the kind of place where he met his third wife too….but that's a story for another day.

Lana’i: The Lodge at Koele and dinner

April 21, 2012 mmm-yoso Italian Restaurants, Lanai, Travel

During my previous two visits to Lana'i, more than 17 years ago, I'd really enjoyed checking out the Lodge at Koele. Located on the former site of the Lana'i Company Ranch and Headquarters "the Lodge" is located maybe a half mile from the center of Lana'i City. Of course, it's pretty much impossible to get lost near the city so we decided to walk to the Lodge. You basically take Lana'i Road until it ends. The area looks very "upcountry" as we call it.

You then take a right and head up the pine lined road…….

And you'll soon see the Lodge at Koele…..

The hotel stands in stark contrast to the Manele Bay Resort, the Lodge has an "old English" feel to it…….

The grounds are wonderfully manicured….wild turkeys and all.

Actually, I just wanted the Missus to see one thing at the lodge.

It's the orchid house, which overlooks the lake and some of the golf course…….

There's a little table and chairs in the greenhouse which is so very calm and relaxing if no one else is there.

Wouldn't it make a great place for your morning tea or coffee?

Of course, the orchids aren't too shabby either, I posted a couple of photos in a previous post, but here are a few more.

There are only 102 rooms at the Lodge, so it has a feel of real exclusivity…..

Later that evening, we decided to check out a restaurant called Pele's Other Garden in Lana'i City. The dinner turned out fine, though the guy managing the front was pretty much a jerk. We got there at about 5pm and walked in. The guy leaning on the counter looked at us and said, "yeah….". I asked if they were open, he said, "does it look like we're open?" Geeez, what a putz. Next thing out of his mouth, "do you have reservations?" I said "no." He said, "can you read?" There seemed to be reservation signs on almost every table. Ok, fine, I turned to leave….he interrupted our exit by pointing to a corner table and said "there…." And here I thought they called this the hospitality industry? Whatever….the young lady who served us was very nice and friendly. The jerk seemed to treat everyone he knew nice, but everyone else was fair game.

Our dinner was decent. The smoked salmon appetizer had a generous amount of salmon.

And the bruschetta was nice, tough the balsamic reduction was very strong.

The vegetarian pizza had too much cheese and the crust was gummy.

During our meal, we saw the guy insult several other customers, even those with reservations. I later asked someone local whether the dude suffered from severe bowel obstructions or terminal lemon sucking syndrome. I got the best explanation from her, 'ah, he's just a bitter Haole from New York who couldn't make it anywhere else."

By the time we walked back to our room, the Missus had already moved on to Her next thing. She had some app that did constellations and stood there like a doufus in the parking lot of the Hotel Lana'i pointing Her iPhone to the sky…….

Then She got an even better idea….."why don't we walk back to the Lodge? I think the sky there is clearer!" So we ended up walking back, and there we were standing in the darkness in the back of the Lodge at Koele. While the Missus was busy staring at the now cloud covered sky and tripping over stuff, I took some photos.

The place is photogenic…even at night.

Funny thing happened while we were walking around. They locked the back door to the lobby area of the hotel.

That wasn't a problem though, as we just walked to one of the hallways and entered that way.

While walking back in the very quiet darkness, I told the Missus that according to legend, the island of Lana'i was home to evil, man-eating spirits…….. We did end up back to our cottage, with all limbs and digits intact.

The next morning we partook of the free breakfast spread at the hotel, then caught the shuttle and out flight back to Oahu. Here are some photos with a couple of familiar landmarks in them.

Thanks for reading!

Sunday Stuffs: Sakura opening another restaurant and revisits to Pho Lucky and Pizzeria Bruno

March 25, 2012 mmm-yoso Italian Restaurants, Japanese Restaurants, Pizza, Vietnamese Restaurants

Well, it was pretty nice there for a couple of days. Anyway, here's something short for a wet Sunday in San Diego.

Owners of Izakaya Sakura opening a new restaurant:

I was quite surprised when I heard this. But according to my sources, the owners of Sakura are taking over the Chilies Thai location for a new restaurant.

Folks might be wondering what gives since it's in the same strip mall as Izakaya Sakura. Well this place is going to be Italian-Japanese. Probably something similar to Spoon House and Akane Chaya in the Gardena area. Not my favorite style and i'm wondering if there's a market for it here, heck even Curry house couldn't cut it. When I asked Dennis for his opinion, he had his doubts too. Time will tell. One more thing I heard is that Kazu will cut down his sushi bar time to oversee this new place…….don't think that's a great idea either.

3904 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111

Banh Mi Bo Kho at Pho Lucky:

After a terrible version of Vietnamese style Beef Stew at Pho Mignon, the sudden change in weather, and feeling a bit under the weather I decided to grab some Banh Mi Bo Kho from Pho Lucky. Funny thing is, Cathy mentioned that I've only done one post on the place. I swear I've done more than that. I did find a couple of posts including one on the Banh Mi Bo Kho. I think my Google search is doing weird things…..

The flavor was spot on as is the norm, but the stew was on the thin and soupy side. Lot's of nice tendon hiding on the bottom, though. What's up with the thin stews I've been getting recently? At least this one tasted good.

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

Pizzeria Bruno Napoletano:

*** Pizzeria Bruno has closed

Man, it was almost like spring for a couple of days there, wasn't it? And the weather put the Missus in the mood for sitting outside and having a pizza from Bruno. Over time, the Missus has settles on the Marinera ($9) being Her favorite:

She usually orders it with extra olive oil…….

I got my favorite, the Diavolo ($15), with soppressata replacing the pepperoni.

The goat peppers add some nice spice and mild sweetness to balance out the salt from the salami-ish soppressata. Great char on the crust and I've gotten used to eating this with a knife and fork…..

Can't wait until we get more consistent warm weather, we'll be enjoying this more often.

Pizzeria Bruno
4207 Park Blvd
San Diego, CA 92103

My previous post on Bruno can be found here.

Nicolosi’s for lunch

May 11, 2011 Cathy Italian Restaurants, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso!!! is a blog. Kirk is not blogging; he is on vacation. ed(from Yuma) is not blogging; he is working. Cathy is blogging; she has time.

Nicolosi's has been in San Diego since 1952, serving Sicilian Italian style food. Started by the man who was grandfather to the present owner brothers, Nicolosi's was originally located on Goldfinch in the Mission Hills area of town. The Third generation of the Nicolosi family is still serving the same family recipes perfected more than half a century ago. Then there are the servers. Five of them have worked for this Restaurant and with this family for more than 20 years. I remember when it was on El Cajon Boulevard and 40th, then it moved to Adobe Falls and Waring Road and last year it moved to Navajo Road at Jackson.

This location had most recently been The Fish Merchant and many other restaurants. This building and location are off the beaten path and has been patronized by neighborhood folk. On this lunchtime visit, Nicolosi's was crowded and there were people dining who had never been in this part of town before.

When you walk in, you are greeted by a montage of photographs of family.
Fresh baked bread (and butter) is brought out to your table while you order.

Everything is made fresh for you. The mural was brought over from the Adobe Falls Road location and has a prominent spot in the largest dining room. There are tablecloths, even at lunch time. Every person is treated as if they are a guest in a home. Nicolosi's feels cozy and friendly.

My dining companion chose a charbroiled chicken salad ($8) from the lunch menu. There was a good amount of chicken breast, freshly cooked, moist and good. As you can see, the salad (which had basil as well as mixed lettuces) was topped with walnuts and chunks of gorgonzola. He said the dressing was a very good oil and balsamic vinegar. That's the house dressing, which is sold here.

I had to have the eggplant parmesan sandwich ($7), which I was craving. The marinara sauce here is always fresh and has that sweetness which comes from fresh tomatoes. You can see the fresh baked bread is toasted just right.

In this photo, you can see the eggplant was breaded, fried crispy and then topped with Parmesan cheese, the sauce and more cheese. All of this was just made; you can taste it.

Oh yes, The Mister and I like the pizza here. The pizzas are hand made and the crust is just right; they will make a thin crust on request, but that is just wrong. Pizza toppings are fresh and good, especially the Italian sausage which is filled with fennel. The location may have changed, but the food quality, menu and some of the staff haven't. If you have been to the other locations, the menu is consistent, if you have never been here, you can experience fresh made food and tradition.

Nicolosi's Italian Restaurant 7005 Navajo Road (at Jackson) San Diego 92119 Website