Japanese Restaurants – Page 55

Sammy Sushi says goodbye

October 6, 2008 mmm-yoso Japanese Restaurants, Sushi and Sashimi

A few months ago, Sam, Owner, Itamae, and the namesake of Sammy Sushi, mentioned that he planned to put the restaurant up for sale. After 4 years and change, Sam had decided that the 24 hours a day demands that his restaurant had put on him had started wearing away at him, both physically and mentally. I don't blame him, the restaurant industry is a tough one. And so it came to pass, a few weeks ago, Sam mentioned that he had a buyer, and the end was in sight. So it is with a heavy heart that I announce that Sammy Sushi's last night of operation will be Saturday, October 11th.

So this week will be your last chance to drop by and enjoy the nice neighborhood vibe of Sammy Sushi. It appears that Sammy Sushi is going to become a Fresh Seafood Market.

Over the years Sam has become much more than my friendly neighborhood Itamae, he's become a friend. And as sad as I am knowing that Sammy's will be gone, I have great hopes for Sam's future endeavors.

Good Luck Sam!

Road Trip: Daikokuya – Costa Mesa (Orange County)

October 1, 2008 mmm-yoso Japanese Restaurants, Orange County, Ramen, Road Trip

**** This location of Daikokuya has closed

I've long been a fan of Daikokuya, though not a big enough fan to wait 1-2 hours in line….for me the return on investment was just not there. Well maybe an hour, but no longer…..except when it's kinda cold outside, but only then could I wait maybe an hour-and-a-half…..or if I'm really Jonesing for a bowl of the super rich and fatty Kotteri broth, maybe…..

So when I read that Daikokuya was opening up in the Food Court of Marukai Costa Mesa, I was overjoyed, and quite excited. Until I read Elmomonster's post on his disappointing visit to Daikokuya Costa Mesa. Still, I thought that I needed to find out for myself.

After seeing the "menu"(written on a piece of construction paper) and the "crew", I pretty much knew that this, at the best, would be a stripped down Daikokuya experience.

Being not very hungry, the Missus and I decided to split a bowl of ramen ($8.50). We were handed one of those vibrating coaster like thing-a-majiggies…. And before you knew it, the bugger got all lit up and vibrated its way off the table. I guess my bowl of ramen was ready!

As I moved the bowl from the plastic tray to the table, I noticed that it was not very hot, which for tonkotsu (boiled pork bone) style broth is the kiss of death. It ends up being oily. The first thing the Missus went for was the boiled egg, one of Her favorites, and Daikokuya, as I remembered it was one of the few places that would make their eggs "hanjyuku" style…soft boiled. As I fished the egg out, the Missus let out a gasp:

Talk about lousy quality control; this egg had cracked during the boiling process, causing the albumen to get stiff, and the yolk would obviously be overcooked. The Missus wasn't going to take this sitting down, and marched the bowl back to the counter. What She got from the young lady was a titter, and the statement, "wow, that's an ugly looking egg". You gotta love the attention to detail. After a short discussion, we got a replacement egg. It was not soft-boiled, but acceptable.

The broth itself was a disappointment, bland, somewhat greasy, almost what we would consider "stagnant". I had expected the Chashu to be lousy as well, but it was pretty good, with a nice mildly sweet "porkiness" to it.

The noodles were as good as mass-produced standard ramen noodles could be prepared. It had a nice chew to it, and was not overcooked. The Missus's assessment? "We came all this way for this? You better get some fish from Marukai and make me Karei Karaage when we get home!" Which I did.

I should have known better and taken Elmo's word on Daikokuya….but I had to find out for myself. Still, they seemed to be doing okay business in the Bermuda Triangle that is the Marukai Costa Mesa Food Court. But to me, it is a mere shadow of the Little Tokyo location.

Daikokuya
2975 Harbor Blvd (In the Marukai Food Court)
Costa Mesa, CA 92626

I just realized that I chose what may be one of the hottest days of the year to post about ramen…..maybe I just wanted to share my pain?

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Wa Dining Okan – Part 2

September 7, 2008 mmm-yoso Chicken Wings, Japanese Restaurants

As I mentioned in Part 1, Captain Jack and I had already consumed almost all of the first 5 Kozara Ryori (small plates). At this point, CJ turned to me and said; "ok, it's time for some meat!" Opening the menu, I started ordering items from the Grilled Dishes and Side Dishes potion of the menu.

The first dish to arrive was the Grilled Beef Tongue (Gyutan – $5.50):

5 slices of Grilled Beef tongue, served with a lemon wedge and a sprinkling of Shichimi Togarashi, the standard Japanese chili and spice blend. If I may digress for a brief moment; the translation of Shichimi Togarashi is basically "seven spice chili pepper". Whenever I use it around the house, I will often show the bottle to the Missus and tell Her; "your people may have 5 spice…but we have SEVEN spice!" At which time I need to duck and scamper away quickly…very quickly. I thought the slices of tongue would have been better off texturally if it were sliced a bit thinner, and grilled a bit more crisp. As served it was a bit more rubbery than what I prefer. Still, the flavor was excellent…..and a good sign of proper preparation was evident. The Gyutan was permeated with the unmistakable fragrance of Binchotan, which adds a distinct smoky flavor to whatever is being grilled.

Next up was something not on the menu. But seeing that there were a few Yakitori style items on the menu involving various cuts of chicken, I asked if they had Tori Kawa (chicken skin). Nanase pointed to the Japanese menu over the doorway to the kitchen, and said yes. So this was a no-brainer.

Served in a ponzu style sauce, and topped with a good, mildy, sweet-pungent Negi (green onion), this dish delivered as expected.

Off the side dish menu, we ordered the Spicy Chicken Karaage ($5.25):

The Karaage was decent, but nothing special. What was delici-oso good was the "spicy sauce" which was more tangy than spicy, and tasted great on the Mizuna…..they should bottle the stuff.

Grilled Chicken Wings (Tebasaki – $4.50):

Not the largest chicken wings you'll ever see, but these were grilled to perfection. And the smoky Binchotan flavor came sailing through. And even though I haven't met very many chicken wings I didn't like, I thought these were especially good.

What was called 1-Bite Deep Fried Pork on the menu($5.50).

This was basically 2 bite Tonkatsu nuggets. The pork was fried to perfection and had a good amount of fat, but was on the tough side. The katsu sauce was really good, very tangy, and I think it's made in house.

I saw a plate of tempura pass by….the color and shape caught my eye. So of course, being with CJ, I had no fear of unfinished food…we ordered the Okra Tempura, which I didn't see on the menu.

This was fried with a skilled hand; the okra still had a nice bite to it, and had not wasted away into mushiness, and the batter was light. What really caught my attention was the Tentsuyu, the dipping sauce, which had a nice dashi flavor, without being too salty.

As we were finishing the okra, CJ turned to me and said; "we need one more thing…." Which gave me the opening to order the Asparagus Wrapped with Pork ($4.25):

Under any other circumstances, this would be plain-Jane bacon wrapped asparagus. It was the addition of grilling over binchotan that added an additional layer of flavor over everything. Overall, this was a decent dish.

12 dishes, along with a small Tokkuri of Kubota Manju came out to a tad over $70. Not bad at all.

Funny thing, a day later I was craving that Gobo Salad. And knowing how much the Missus loves all those nimono (simmered) dishes, I talked Her into having a nice light dinner at Okan. Unfortunately, the Sataimo, Kabocha, and Nasubi dishes weren't "on the table". Of course the really bad tuna-daikon salad, and the strange sweet-sour chicken were…. But all was not lost, for tonight there were a couple of items the Missus enjoys.

We started with some Gobo Kinpira (sauteed than simmered gobo):

Man, this was good, and motivated the Missus to order some Gohan (rice). All the textures were perfect…..this was much better than anything I've tried to make at home.

The Hijiki Nimono (simmered Hijiki):

Nice and crisp, but very mild in flavor. The Missus preferred the version I make at home.

I was surprised when the Missus ordered the Simmered Saba (Simmered Blue Mackerel) from among the specials lining the counter.

Inability to handle the high oil content and the texture, Saba has never been one of the Missus's favorite fishes. And this was no exception. Saba had never been one of my favorite fishes either……but I really enjoyed this. Nice oil, fairly dense meat from the preparation, not as fishy as I had expected.

We also ordered one of the Missus's favorites, Agedashi Tofu ($4.25 – fried tofu in a broth).

The Missus loved the tofu, perfect in texture. The tentsuyu, the sauce for the tofu was very mild, except for the flavor of ginger, which over-powered the otherwise delicate flavors of the dish.

Along with all of those dishes, we had the wonderful Gobo Salad I had been craving, and the Okra Tempura. The Missus had a Calpico Sour, I had tea, and the meal came out to $35. Not bad at all. Many of the dishes are really home-style, and I'm sure many of us makes at least some facsimile of them at home. But some of these dishes take a good amount of time, and to make many small plates…..sheesh!

As we were driving home, we started discussing the salad. The Missus mentioned the textures and also the flavors…..in the very Chinese way She said, "suan, tian, ku, xian." Suddenly, in a moment of clarity I understood, "Okan" (Mom) was teaching us about life in this dish. Life is made up of sour(suan), tian (sweet), bitter (ku), and xian (salty) moments, and we must devour it with zeal. Of course, She may just want us to eat our greens……..

Wa Dining Okan
3860 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111

Hours:
Mon – Wed 530-11pm
Thurs – Sat 530pm – 12am
Sun 430pm – 9pm

Part 1, can be found here.

Wa Dining Okan – Part 1

September 4, 2008 mmm-yoso Japanese Restaurants

Everyone likes a good story, one full of intrigue, right? So how about a story of riches, a far away land, some mystery, and with Mom’s love thrown in to tie it all together? Well, let’s give it a whirl, shall we?

There I was, minding my own business…..I know, I know, you’ve heard that one before. But really, there I was minding my own business on a recent Saturday night. As I left Nijiya Market, groceries in tow…..yes, such is the glamorous life I lead, grocery shopping on a Saturday night. Leaving Nijiya, I noticed that the space previously occupied by Yakitori K-1, was lit up, and as I peered through the window, the place was packed.

There was not much to identify the place, except for a sign of "specials", and several laminated photos with wording in Japanese. I was immediately hooked, but I really wanted to do a bit of research before stepping through that door. Questions danced through my head; "what kind of place would open up, flying way below the radar?" "No signs in English, what would that mean?" "Why haven’t I heard of this place before?" Hence the mystery……put in simple terms, what the heck was this place? I needed to know more….so what would a good Private Eye do? Well, I started interviewing people. From 2 different cashiers at Nijiya, I learned a bit. They weren’t quite sure how to explain the type of restaurant in English. Until it hit home; when I mentioned the term "Kozara Ryori", I was met with approving nods. Both of the women had never been to the restaurant, and one of them said; "I think it might be the most expensive in San Diego!" And then She whispered to me, "when you go, come back and tell me about it." For those who have never heard of Kozara Ryori dining, the term "Kozara" refers to the little plates that are used. So the term Kozara Ryori, is used for restaurants that serve "little plates"…..sort of Tapas, Japanese style. (No, Izakaya is NOT a term used for Japanese little dishes). And from another source, I was told that the Owner was a rich (the riches) Japanese Businessman, who was unhappy with the Japanese food in San Diego, and decided to find and hire a Chef from Japan (the far away land). Wanting this restaurant to be his own little semi-private dining club, but also needing to make enough to keep it afloat, the place opened with no fanfare, and the sign still read "Yakitori K-1". I’m not sure if this is all true, but it makes for a heck of a story…..

Having a better understanding of the task in front of me, I knew I was out of my depth. I needed some help, an individual with deep pockets, and an even deeper stomach. There was only one man for the job, my Urasawa Partner in Crime. The man, the myth, the appetite, Captain Jack. Jack, as always, was up for anything, and met me for dinner, at the restaurant whose sign still read "Yakitori K-1"

We arrived right at opening, 530pm, so that we could deal with possible complications. Places are less crowded at that hour. As we approached, I really took a detailed look at the sign of specials.

No, I don’t read Japanese; but I quickly noticed the prices….hmmmm….everything under $5.25. Looks like it won’t be too bad. I’ll have to tell the lady at Nijiya……

The restaurant is elegant, in the simple, and what Captain Jack calls "austere", Japanese way. As we sat at the "bar", we quickly noticed the specials are lined up around the bar in large bowls.

And there is an English version of the menu….even though there are several other specials in Japanese, you’ll have no problem maneuvering here. The restaurant itself is quite small, and the fairly large menu consists of appetizers, salads, side dishes, grilled items, and the inevitable "closing dishes" (i.e. soup, soba, and udon). The prices are quite in line with other places…..

As I looked over the bowls of specials, a smile appeared on my face. Most of the items were homestyle dishes, many of which I grew up eating, and still make from time to time in my own mediocre way. And so I started ordering, and really appreciated the wonderful service that Nanase provided….She actually put up with my very bad Sansei pronunciations of the dishes.

We started with some simmered Satoimo Nimono (simmered Japanese taro):

Oh man, memories of my childhood. Nicely simmered to a perfect moist-starchiness, in a mild dashi-based broth. This was, at least for me, quite nice.

Kabocha Nimono, simmered "winter squash" also known as "Kabocha Squash" and "Japanese Pumpkin".

I dare not even attempt to cook my Kabocha to this level…it would never hold shape. Melt in your mouth, but maybe a bit too soft for me. Wonderful flavor, the mild sweetness accented by the balanced dashi.

The Daikon and Tuna Salad:

The only real clunker of the night…ugh….canned tuna…mayo…belongs at the buffet line at Todai.

Having tasted the Kabocha and Satoimo, something told me that the Miso Nasubi(Eggplant) might be pretty good.

I really enjoyed this. The miso was used with a very restrained hand, there was the hint of miso in every bite, but you could still taste the eggplant. The eggplant was simmered to perfection, just enough melt in your mouth goodness, without a hint of bitterness. A very nice home-style dish, and my favorite of the "specials".

For our salad; we ordered this:

It’s the Gobo Salad ($5.25). I was a bit surprised at the portion size. The Gobo (burdock root) had been shaved and deep fried. The Gobo and the Mizuna was tied together with a Sesame-Vinaigrette, which added a nice tart-sweetness, and the wonderful earthiness of the Gobo was balanced out with the mild bitterness of the Mizuna. This was possibly my favorite dish of the night.

Would you believe that we had just gotten started? I’m bushed, so you’ll have to wait for part 2 of this…..

Oh…yes, what about "Mom"?

Just read the little page to the right. There are little signs around the place, signed, "Yours Sincerely, Mom." And who doesn’t love Mom? So how about adding this to the little story. A rich Japanese Businessman, misses his Mom’s home cooking, and the comfort food of home. He hires a Chef from Japan to recreate those seasonal dishes he loves, and quietly opens a restaurant……. Could it be true??? I dunno……..

Wa Dining Okan
3860 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111

Hours:
Mon – Wed 530-11pm
Thurs – Sat 530pm – 12am
Sun 430pm – 9pm

Part 2 can be found here.

Santouka Ramen – San Diego, A revisit

July 29, 2008 mmm-yoso Japanese Restaurants, Ramen, What Howie Eats - Where the Foodie from Foodieview Eats

After my not too satisfying visit to the new Santouka in San Diego, I thought I’d wait a bit before trying it out again. But the opportunity arose a lot quicker than I’d thought. The always thoughtful Howie, proprietor of The Foodie View invited me to join his merry group for lunch. (BTW, check out his new feature, The Foodie View of the Day). On this day, the Shio Ramen was spot on, from the wonderfully tongue scortching broth, to the toothsome and elastic noodles. Unfortunately, I was enjoying the wonderful company of Michelle, Caron (of San Diego Foodstuff), and Howie so much, that I really didn’t feel motivated to take photos. Great conversation will do that to me sometimes.

Recently, the Missus, needing a change of pace, wanted some ramen. Now the Missus is not a big ramen fan, though I think it is due to the fact that She’s had too much "bad ramen". Being that a request for ramen occurs about as often as an appearance of Halley’s comet in the mmm-yoso household, I jumped at the chance. We arrived at the Santouka "booth", and the Missus wanted something "salty", so it was a large Miso Ramen for Her, and since She has never met a boiled egg She’s never liked, we got the boiled eggs(99 cents) as well. Since I wanted to do an "apple for apple" comparison, I decided on the Shio Ramen again($7.99 – large), and of course I got a side of boiled egg as well.

The shiro(broth) was excellent, tongue melting hot, rich, but not greasy, and full of porky goodness, sweet, and mildly salty. The Chashu was also very good, soft, but not falling to pieces, rich in flavor, and very moist. Even the Missus, who, ummm, "doesn’t eat pork", loved it! The noodles were a bit off today, hard and brittle, instead of being chewy, with a nice elasticity. Still, this was way better than that first bowl I had.

I had a sip of The Missus’s Miso Ramen, and it still strikes me a being too salty. As for the boiled eggs….the Missus loved them so much, She traded 1 piece of Chashu for my eggs. Sorry, but I wasn’t going to just give away my boiled eggs. Chivalry has its limits.

So there you have it, a revisit to Santouka in San Diego, not as good as my undocumented second visit, but better than my first. Still not better than the bowls I’ve had in Torrance and Costa Mesa, but getting there.

Santouka Ramen
4240 Kearny Mesa Rd(In the Mitsuwa Marketplace)
San Diego, CA 92111

Banbu Sushi Bar and Grill- a restaurant inside the old Movie Theater complex in La Mesa

June 20, 2008 Cathy Japanese Restaurants, Sushi and Sashimi, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso!!! is just a humble blog. Kirk and ed (from Yuma) are busy with life today and Cathy is just blogging about yet another meal.

Hi. I’m back again. Remember the old Pacific Theaters on Fletcher Parkway, down the hill from Grossmont Mall? Well, once the theaters were built right inside the mall, those by the Trolley Station were abandoned, but the building stayed…and now look at it!

Inside and outside, it is decorated beautifully- the sushi bar has 12 chairs and could accommodate a few more…there were five sushi chefs (one of them female…) working constantly, and a couple of television sets behind them. We ordered a couple of "basics", staring with the fried calamari ($6.95)…sliced thin and with a very light batter…the flavor was good, but the calamari was a bit too chewy; maybe a bit overcooked because it was sliced so thin. Still, it was tasty and a good sized portion, accompanied by the spicy Sriracha flavored dipping sauce.

The Mister ordered a lunch special, which started with a fairly large bowl of onion soup (miso is also a choice). Very rich, not salty, not too onion-y, with thinly sliced mushrooms and fried onion bits floating in it. Very nice (and different)

The shrimp and vegetable tempura lunch plate ($9.00). The portion of rice is an excellent size and quality. The California rolls were fresh and made with *real* crab. The tempura itself was very well done, not burned, not greasy, lightly crispy. There were two shrimp and two each of some of the vegetables-mushroom, broccoli, sweet potato and one each of a fresh string bean, onion and green pepper. All of the vegetables were crispy fresh and tasty- the frying did not destroy anything. Very good.

I decided to try the seafood salad ($12.50) -opposed to the $17 Chirashi Sushi- Don’t let this photo fool you: I was trying to be non-conspicuous and this was the only photo I could get. The bottom of this salad bowl was *filled* with seafood pieces; the albacore being the best of all. I liked the salmon, hamachi, ika and tuna also. Each piece of seafood was extremely fresh and not just some thoughtless ‘endpiece’ tossed in there. the salad was fresh with a light garlic ginger soy dressing. Again, this was more than enough food. The photo looks small portion but it isn’t.

Oh, the hot tea was *excellent* and free. I also noticed free refills of soda.

Banbu Sushi Bar and Grill 8555 Fletcher Parkway (between Grossmont Center Drive and Nagel) La Mesa 91942 (619)589-0071 (Closed between lunch and dinner M-Sat) Sunday open at 1 p.m. until 9 p.m.

Santouka Ramen – San Diego

April 28, 2008 mmm-yoso Japanese Restaurants, Ramen

*** An updated post can be found here.

I had been hearing about the possibility of a branch of Santouka Ramen opening up in San Diego for quite a while. I had heard that Santouka would be opening in the Mitsuwa Marketplace; but after Kayaba opened it's doors; or to be more precise, drew back its curtains, there was no activity for for over a year. But soon enough, word got around that Santouka was opening on April 14th. "Finally, good ramen in San Diego" was the first thought that went through my mind. And though the first few days after opening was a bit too crazy for me, it was just a matter of time before I wanted to inhale some good ramen!

I placed my order, and watched the automated green onion slicer go to work. I dunno, they had 5 people working, do they really need a machine to cut green onions? And just the fact that the Young Man running the contraption stood and fed the scallions one by one through the machine, made it seem somewhat Goldberg-ian!

I usually will just get a Shio or Shoyu Ramen, but on this day, I decided to go for the gusto and ordered the Shio Ramen – Chashu Rice set ($9.48). Which was ready in no time.

Santouka's ramen is a favorite of many food bloggers, from The Rameniac to Miss Oishii-Eats and Daily Gluttony, who made sure to attend Santouka's grand opening in West LA. Recently, "RT" doing a guest spot on The Delicious Life, called it "liquid crack". And having had a few bowls myself, albeit at the Torrance and Costa Mesa locations, I'd be more than happy to join in, singing praises…..

I approached my bowl with eagerness, and that's where the problems started.

The shio(salt) ramen, which according to Rameniac owes it's flavor to the combination of pork bones(done in the classic "Tonkotsu" style) as well as shellfish. For me, there is one key thing about the broth I enjoy; a good oil content. The shiro at Santouka is not as rich as the "good bowls" I've encountered at Daikokuya, but it usually has a nice velvety richness that will wrap itself around your tongue. Unfortunately, this bowl of ramen was served to me lukewarm, which turned it from rich, to greasy, and not as enjoyable. In fact, halfway through my bowl, I had my own little personal Exxon Valdez disaster….which marks the only time that I've never finished a bowl of ramen at Santouka.

Still, I could live with that. Why? Well, for me, it's about the noodles at Santouka, which have a nice springy, toothsome, chew to them. These were undercooked and on the hard side. And being in lukewarm broth would not help, bummer…..

At least the Chashu delivered, as did the boiled soy sauce eggs, an accessory that goes with the ramen at Santouka, like Marc Jacobs with the Missus.

Disappointed with my ramen, I don't even remember what the Chashu Rice tasted like, and frankly it was just an afterthought for me anyway.

I've had enough good bowls of ramen at the other locations of Santouka to give the San Diego location "a pass" for now. I'll assume that they still need to get things straightened out. I'm hoping my next visit will be more successful.

Santouka Ramen
4240 Kearny Mesa Rd(In the Mitsuwa Marketplace)
San Diego, CA 92111

Sushi Porn 2: The Sequel from Sammy

January 22, 2008 ed fromyuma Japanese Restaurants, Sushi and Sashimi, What Ed Eats -You too can be like Ed!

*** On October 11th 2008 Sammy called it a day.

Welcome to mmm-yoso!!!, Kirk's blog on the wonderful world of food from San Diego and beyond. Sometimes, he lets one of his friends post here, and today, ed from Yuma will share some more salacious sushi pics.

A few weeks ago when I was preparing my first excursion into the fishy world of sushi pornography, I was surprised by how many of my favorite raw pictures were of items from Sammy Sushi, not Sakura.

After I thought about it for a while, I began to understand why. Ever since I first wandered into Katzra, where Sammy was then employed, on a rainy night many years ago, I have been impressed by Sammy's skills as an itamae. Not only is his fish usually fresh and tasty, but he creates an atmosphere of warmth and friendliness in his sushi bar. Over the last few years he has honed these skills (as well as a number of knives, I suspect) at his own place on Engineer, about a block away from Convoy.

While Sammy's kitchen does not turn out the wide range of tasty izakaya treats like Sakura, he does more than just sushi. For example, the salmon skin salad is a wonderful combination of crunchy, fishy, and smoky flavors:

In addition, Sammy's appeals to me because it is a great American neighborhood sushi bar (in the best sense of the term). The friendly atmosphere and reasonable prices attract a lot of regulars. If one wants to watch a World Cup game or a baseball playoff, Sammy has no problem turning on his television set. Similarly, Sammy's menu contains a wide range of America's favorite rolled sushi. Sometimes it's nice to tuck into something like a spider roll or rainbow roll, though in general, my taste in rolls runs to the more traditional, as in this beautiful albacore roll:

Sammy also creates pressed sushi, using the mold somewhat like a plastic ice cube tray to create oblong cubes of densely packed rice and raw fish:

As you can tell from this close-up, this version contains maguro and some crunchy items along with the rice, presenting a mix of flavors and textures:

Sammy also does a wide range of nigiri sushi. The salmon and mirugai shown here were both excellent:

Some days, the sushi at Sammy's crosses over the line into the obscenely good. This display of naked fishflesh (hamachi) makes me want to eat my computer screen:

Similarly, I cannot imagine any connoisseur of crustaceans not being aroused by this gorgeous display of amaebi, split wide open, its pearly moist luster beckoning the viewer into serious indulgence:

Of course, in my mind, no post on such an erotic and exotic topic would be complete without a look at some fresh uni. Here the sex organs of a sea urchin lie exposed above the rest of its body:

In the tradition of fine pornography (so I am told), I feel it is completely appropriate to end with a close-up of this kinky echinoderm, a picture that leaves nothing (except the rich creamy flavor) to the imagination:

Now that is truly obscene.

Sammy Sushi, 7905 Engineer Road San Diego, CA 92111

A bunch of revisits… A Chau, Latin Chef, and Kayaba

December 21, 2007 mmm-yoso Banh Mi, Japanese Restaurants, Peruvian Restaurants, Sandwiches, Vietnamese Restaurants

I’m pretty sure many are(ahem, yours truly included) feeling the “Christmas Crunch” right about now. Of course there are those you, the uber-organized, who have this Christmas shopping thing down pat…..you know who you are, smug and relaxed during the Holidays, your Christmas blitz starts on December 28th….no never the 26th or 27th, on those days, the mall is crawling with unhappy campers returning unwanted gifts. But on the 28th, when all us shoppers are lying in exhaustion…tongues lolling from our gasping, foaming mouths, you’re ready to gear up for NEXT CHRISTMAS! And you’re usually done by the end of February, except for a few items, cherry-picked during the year. I salute you, super-shopper, well, it’s a double salute of sorts, my right hand held flat and brought to my brow in respect, the other hand is raised…well, better to not go there.

Because of the time crunch, I find myself revisiting a bunch of places this time of year…here are a few:

A Chau

I haven’t been to A Chau in a bit, and though I’m fully aware of the spiraling price increases of Banh Mi, it was still a shock when I paid $3 for my sandwich. I had ordered a simple BBQ Pork Banh Mi, but got this:

It was a meatball (Xiu Mai) Banh Mi, which would have been fine, except this was the type that uses a weak tomato sauce, that when combined with pickled vegetables, and fish sauce, is not a flavor that I’m fond of. The bread at A Chau remains the same as always, more on the doughy-chewy side, than the crusty baguette.

Still, I was, and am always pleased with the Cha Gio at A Chau. Made with rice paper, always crisp, and quite filling. The egg rolls are still 3 for a buck.

A Chau
4644 El Cajon Blvd Ste 111
San Diego, CA 92115

Latin Chef

**** Latin Chef has closed

Ed from Yuma rolled into town for a few days this week, and we managed to grab a few meals, one of which was at Latin Chef. It was nice to see Freddy, the Owner of Latin Chef, it was also nice to see that business has been good, and Latin Chef has been able to expand into the space next door. Still, even though the restaurant has doubled in size, it is still quite small.

Ed had the Cebiche, and I started with the Tiradito.

I found todays version to be really, really good, mildy tart and creamy, with some nice heat provided by the Aji Amarillo peppers. Freddy told me the spice was supplemented and raised with the help of ginger.

We also shared some Anticuchos:

And though this is a bit different from the grilled versions we got from street vendors in Cusco, it is still very good, with the flavor of cumin coming on strong. In fact, if you didn’t know what it was……..you’d be hard pressed to guess.

Latin Chef
1142 Garnet Ave
San Diego, CA 92109

Kayaba

**** Kayaba has closed

During one of my shopping “blitzes”, I was able to rest my weary butt at Kayaba. Desiring rice and something fried, I decided to order the Tonkatsu($7.50). In fact, I decided to retry the “Rosu” (pork loin) that I found to be very tough and dry on one of my previous visits.

And to my surprise it was nice and tender, if a bit on the dry side. And combined with a nice dose of tonaktsu sauce, the nice oniony potato salad, and rice, made for a rather nice meal.

Too bad the miso soup here is still terrible.

Kayaba
4240 Kearny Mesa Rd Ste 119
San Diego, CA 92111

Okay…back to shopping!!!!

Sushi Porn: Pics from Sakura

December 18, 2007 ed fromyuma Japanese Restaurants, Sushi and Sashimi, What Ed Eats -You too can be like Ed!

Hello readers. This is Kirk’s incredible mmm-yoso blog, but sometimes he shares the fun (?) of blogging with a few of his friends. For the last three months, I (ed from Yuma) have been enjoying the posts by Kirk and Cathy and others. Today, I finally get to do another one.

Several weeks ago, Cathy’s wonderful posting on lunch at Sakura reminded me that I had some decent pictures from a couple of recent (well sometime in the last two years) visits that I could share with everyone who reads mmm-yoso!!!

I usually let Kazu serve me what he wants to serve me, although I will occasionally provide guidelines or suggest something that I just have to eat that evening. Most often he starts me off with an exotic sashimi platter. This one is both typical and beautiful:

In fact, I thought it was so pretty I took another picture of it from a different angle:

I remember the ama ebi (sweet shrimp) as being especially succulent and rich in flavor. This also has to be one of the largest sweet shrimp that I have ever been served. The aji, always a specialty at Sakura, was outstanding. The maguro was good although nothing special, but the rich salmon made up for the rather ordinary tuna. Soon after I had gobbled up all of this wonderful fresh raw seafood, the shrimp head (which I’d torn into two pieces) and the aji bones were brought back to me deep-fried and tasty:

On another visit, the sashimi featured fresh local uni perched next to crunchy chunks of abalone (awabi). The abalone was almost too crunchy for my taste, but the uni was excellent as always:

I love this picture of fatty salmon belly and rich and succulent hamachi. Both tasted as good as they look. Both were extremely unctuous (in a very good way):

The Toro that evening was similarly superb and beautiful, so pretty in fact that this pic has become my avatar at Chowhound. Not that I see myself as a tuna belly (tunas are sleek and muscular, after all), but from their bellies to mine is sortof my sushi mantra:

After serving me a long chewy piece of squid (ika) wrapped around cucumber matched with a crunchy slice of giant clam neck (mirugai), Kazu presented me with saba (mackerel), something I don’t recall having eaten there before. With one taste, I realized that this was not the standard, pre-marinated mackerel with that standard sour fishy flavor, but instead these 5 slices were a real treat, Kazu’s own marinated saba, the best I have ever eaten. If one could taste the essence of the Pacific Ocean, I am convinced it would taste just like the saba that evening:
On another occasion, I was served spicy toro roll, the light spiciness perhaps covering up some shortcoming in the tuna belly. In any case, the smooth richness of the toro came through perfectly:

Since I don’t often order items, I am often unsure of the name of things I am served. I believe this fish salad is albacore tataki. In any case, it contained lightly seared moist and tender albacore slices: :

Tako wasabi is one of my favorite dishes, so it deserves a picture here too: Over the years, Kazu has served me many stew like dishes. At first this seemed strange as it didn’t fit my rather simple ideas about what Japanese food was. Now Sakura’s various izakaya specialties seem normal to me. In fact, many folks believe that the kitchen at Sakura turns out even better food than the sushi bar. This particular beef stew with perfectly cooked, but still firm potatoes and crunchy pea pods was both simple and flavorful. The chunks of beef had achieved a perfect balance of meaty flavor and a rich and tender mouthfeel. For dessert, my favorite thing (unless it has already been served to me) is always uni. What a way to finish: That looks so fresh and tasty that I’m salivating just sitting here at my computer looking at it. In any case, I hope you’ve enjoyed the pictures as much as I have enjoyed re-experiencing some tasty treats from my favorite San Diego restaurant.