Local Kine Stuffs in San Diego – Page 5

Is rice still nice? Revists to Homestyle Hawaiian and Point Point Joint

June 7, 2011 mmm-yoso Filipino Restaurants, Local Kine Stuffs in San Diego, Plate Lunch, Sisig

Over the two years or so, my rice intake has really decreased. I'm not so sure if it's age, environment, or what. These days, Da' Boyz are the biggest consumers of rice in the household. It used to be that when we were on vacation, I'd be missing rice after a couple of days….but this time… nada. In fact, the Missus specifically asked me a couple of times if I was missing rice, and strangely I wasn't. And as a matter of fact, it wasn't rice that I was missing. So was rice still nice? After a couple of weeks, I had ample time to see with some revisits:

Homestyle Hawaiian:

I hadn't been back around these parts since last year. The plate lunches here are still pretty much a bargain at around $6 – $6.50. And Mo will always try to make what you want. Even though it isn't on the menu per se, I wanted a Chicken Cutlet…..

Basically a chicken katsu plate with gravy….there's a whole scoop of…yes, rice under that chicken and gravy. It did hit the spot, though I wasn't able to finish it off. An acquaintance of mine just can't figure out why I like this….. the main issue being the chicken starts getting soggy under the gravy. Of course this person loves chicken katsudon??? Go figure….

The one complaint I may have about the plate is the mac salad…. I still think Mo needs to add more salt to it…. it's kind of bland for my taste.

Homestyle Hawaiian Island Style Food
7524 Mesa College Drive
San Diego, CA 92111

Point Point Joint:

**** Point Point Joint has closed

When you're in need a rice fix, one usually never needs to look further than a good old Filipino "turo-turo" (point-point) joint. And where better to go then a place actually named point-point joint, right? Actually, I wasn't intending a visit to PPJ…… earlier in the weekend, my good FOY (friend of yoso) TammyC just happened to mention sisig, which suddenly had me craving it. I initially went to Conching's since I really like their sisig. TammyC and I always joke about buying a tray of sisig for one of our potlucks, but we're afraid that we'd be the only ones who'll eat the stuff, which is not necessarily a good thing. You'll die with a smile on your face though! Anyway, Conching didn't have any sisig, and what they had looked terribly greasy on this day. I hadn't been to Point-Point in a couple of years, so I thought I'd drop by.

It had been about four years, but not much has changed. Seven bucks got me a huge plate of rice, three scoops of sisig, ginisang ampalaya thoughtfully put into a separate container, since I told the friendly woman (and surprised I order this, "OOOoooh, you like this?") I obviously wouldn't be able to finish off the whole thing. Along with the freebie sinigang…..

The lechon kawale used for the sisig had almost a jerky-like texture, I'm fairly certain it was fried twice. Not necessarily a bad thing since it didn't get soggy. I'd prefer it a bit more crisp.

There was a good ratio of pork to onions, but the flavor was very mild. I enjoy a more bracing sisig; a stronger vinegar flavor and more spice. Not bad, but nothing to write home about.

The bittermelon was strange…….

Both oily and bland, a strange adjective to use when a dish uses bittermelon. The bittermelon wasn't very strong in flavor, which sometimes is a plus. But in this case the dish had almost no flavor, too much "soup", and a oiliness that coated your tongue in a rather unpleasant way.

The sinigang at PPJ has always been pretty good. The Missus used to want this when She wasn't feeling well. This wasn't bad, but it had almost a pure vinegar flavor… almost like the vinegar hadn't been simmered.

Point-Point Restaurant
916 East 8th St
National City, CA 91950

I guess in the end, rice is still nice (I'm sure you'll enjoy that AZ)….. I just don't have the capacity, nor crave it quite as much anymore….which may not be a bad thing.

Sunday Stuffs – Convoy Noodle House, Homestyle Hawaiian, and more…..

December 5, 2010 mmm-yoso Local Kine Stuffs in San Diego, Loco Mocos, Pho, Plate Lunch, Sushi and Sashimi, Vietnamese Restaurants

In case you’ve been wondering what’s been going on here…….. I’ve been having some problems with Internet access and such over the last couple of days. Luckily, as always, Cathy has been able to help me out. Because of the spotty access, it’s hard for me to do a “real” in depth post, since I usually just sit down and start typing things out. This one actually took three days off and on, fits and starts, blah, blah, blah……. It started thinking I could get things done on Friday for Saturday…then Saturday….and finally it’s Sunday. I hope to have everything back on course tomorrow…… So here goes, just a couple of real short items for this Sunday……

Even after all the new Pho shops have opened in the Clairemont/Kearney Mesa area, Convoy Noodle House still stands as my favorite overall in the area especially when it comes to the the broth, which has a more robust anise-clove-beef flavor.

After years of thinking I’d get some decent rare steak (even on the side), I’ve learned that the “tao of dry top round” is almost universal in San Diego, and stick with a brisket-tendon-flank combination.

I was a bit disappointed to that they told me they were out of Ngo Gai……. Still, in terms of flavor, this was as good as I’ve gotten in the area in a while.

**** Convoy Noodle House has closed

Convoy Noodle House
4647 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111

Recently, I dropped by Homestyle Hawaiian…. and Mo told me to try one of the new “specials”….. the Roast Pork Loco Moco. ($8.95)

I’m not quite sure what to say other than…… this was an immense amount of food…. four large slices of roast pork, was enough for maybe three or four people in my opinion. The pork was moist, but I wished for more of the nicely flavored edges. This was too much of a good thing. I asked Mo if anyone had ever finished this, and he told me, “all the time!” You gotta remember that this has the equivalent of three scoops of rice (rice is hidden under the pork and gravy), and a scoop of Mac Salad. The gravy makes this version of the loco moco work, and it’s a very decent version….. still, I want to know who has actually finished this dish. Mo told me that he’s working on a loco moco “challenge”….. I can only imagine…..

Homestyle Hawaiian Island Style Food
7524 Mesa College Drive
San Diego, CA 92111

Thanks so much for your patience……I’m hoping to have everything resolved soon….and I do realize that I need to finish up my China posts….after all I can’t let photos like this:

or even these…..

Go to waste, right?

Revisits: Pho Ca Dao (El Cajon Blvd) and Homestyle Hawaiian

August 27, 2010 mmm-yoso Local Kine Stuffs in San Diego, Pho, Plate Lunch

Just a quick post on a couple of revisits for Friday:

Pho Ca Dao – El Cajon Blvd:

I don't know what's up with the Missus…. but summer has finally truly broken here in San Diego… and She wants Pho! Go figure. We were in the El Cajon area, and decided to stop by Pho Ca Dao. Nowadays with locations in both Mira Mesa and Rancho Bernardo, you really have to specify. One thing I've noticed about the other locations of Pho Ca Dao…… the broth seems to have less "oil", and is not as rich.

I've posted on this place a couple of times before so I'll keep it short and sweet. On this day, the broth was on the "scummy" side, which is a no-no for Pho. The flavor was decent. What Pho Ca Dao does best, at least for me, is tendon. And on this day it was as good as always.

The noodles, in the standard clump-in-a-bowl was fine.

I tend to visit whenever I'm in a tendon mood…… ;o)

Pho Ca Dao
5223 El Cajon Blvd
San Diego, CA 92115

Homestyle Hawaiian:

I hadn't been back to see Mo at Homestyle Hawaiian in over six months! So I decided to see how he was doing, and ordered a combo plate – Chicken Katsu and Korean Chicken.

Geeez, I'd forgotten how huge his plate lunches are. The katsu sauce here is ketchup based, and though not quite like Grace's, it does bring back memories of home.

Even though Mo gave me extra sauce for the Korean Chicken, it didn't quite taste the way it used to.

It was still good, but milder in flavor…. perhaps it hadn't marinated long enough. Still, you sure get your money's worth here. Much like Tita's, I've never been able to polish off a plate solo. Luckily, on this day I split it with my coworker. This was more rice than I saw on my entire trip to China!

Mo is still nice as always, though I wish he'd give the place a good scrub down. I do understand that he does it all, takes orders, cooks, and serves the food, so I tend to cut him a bit more slack.

Homestyle Hawaiian Island Style Food
7524 Mesa College Drive
San Diego, CA 92111

Happy Aloha Friday to everyone:

More on Homestyle Hawaiian

September 18, 2009 mmm-yoso Local Kine Stuffs in San Diego, Plate Lunch

About two weeks ago, I mentioned that Mo was back with Homestyle Hawaiian. So here's the second part….sorta…..

Two weeks is but a blink of an eye for a new business, and Mo's still making adjustments, some long term, some like this temporary(click to enlarge):

The good thing is, you can kinda keep up with things with Homestyle Hawaiian on Twitter.

It does look like the menu is pretty much set, but it's just like Mo to keep his "old time" customers happy.

One of my favorite things are "mixed plates" aka "combo plates", after all everyone loves variety, right? It does run two bucks or so (depending what you get) more, but the portions are slightly larger, and like I mentioned before, you get variety. Like this Chicken Katsu, Korean Chicken mixed plate:

As with Mo's Island Grinds, our favorite overall dish is the Korean Chicken, and the Missus loves the sauce aka Korean Sauce that Mo uses for that dish. Mo mentioned that while on hiatus, several other Hawaiian BBQ joints actually offered to but his recipe.

Those that know me are also aware that I love my Katsu…. in all forms. Breaded and served with Katsu Sauce, Mo's is almost "local kine" which is more ketchup based, than the "Bulldog" and other similar Japanese sauces. At Homestyle Hawaiian, add some Korean Sauce, and you have Lava Chicken, and even though it's not on the menu, you can request a Chicken Cutlet($5)…… in this case it's Katsu covered with gravy:

A nice touch was the gravy on the rice, and the scoop of rice under the chicken smothered in gravy.

Even though Mo wasn't born and raised in Hawaii he seems to understand the changes in tastes. We once had a discussion of "Local Kine Plate Lunch Kalbi" which tends to a more sweet flavor, probably because many of the early Lunchwagons and "Drive-Ins" that served this in the Islands were of Japanese ancestry. My tastes have changed since moving to the Mainland, but if you enjoy a sweeter Kalbi, you'll love the version here.

That's not to say that things always stay the same. I've never been a big fan of the Macaroni Salad at Mo's, and now at Homestyle Hawaiian. On my last two visits however, the salad is less heavy, and has more flavor:

And then there are the "works in progress" such as Meat Jun.

Apparently, it's still being developed……. I haven't found anything close to decent since leaving the Islands. Meat Jun is pretty much a Hawaii thing (BTW, my favorite was from Choi's Family Kitchen), so it'll be interesting following the progress of this dish.

And then there's this:

Need a closer look?

Recognize it? Probably not, since it's not served at Homestyle Hawaiian…. well not really. I've always joked with Mo, telling him that the Missus's favorite thing is the Korean Sauce, and it seems that She relishes the drippings from Korean Chicken on the cabbage garnish on the bottom of the plate! When I've mentioned this to Mo, he's always laughed and shakes his head. And though it's kinda embarrassing, I always ask for some extra sauce when I order Korean Chicken, and Mo being a nice guy, will always give it to us. So we saved up our Korean Sauce, until I had enough. I shredded some cabbage, sliced some cucumber, and topped with some mint. I heated the sauce to wilt the cabbage a bit……. and I had that! Of course it was missing the nice protein-fatty flavor from the chicken, but the Missus wiped the whole thing out. I normally wouldn't mention this except…… on a recent visit, I was sitting and eating my plate, when a couple came in to order some food for a small catering thing. During the discussion, the gentleman also wanted to get an order of "coleslaw". Mo told the guy he "doesn't serve coleslaw"….. Like a schoolkid trying to score points with the teacher I raised my hand, "oh-oh Mo…. I know exactly what he wants, Exxxx-xactly what he wants…." When I mentioned this to the Missus, She gave me the ultimate "I told you so look".

As I write this, Homestyle Hawaiian is still sorta a work in progress; it's still cash only, the hours are changing from week to week, etc, etc….. So I guess we'll need to follow things on Twitter for a bit. Hopefully, it'll all be worth it in the end.

Homestyle Hawaiian Island Style Food
7524 Mesa College Drive
San Diego, CA 92111

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Sunday Silliness

September 13, 2009 mmm-yoso Local Kine Stuffs in San Diego, yoso-silly

It's been a pretty long day for me, so just for a little levity, here's what I found while doing some shopping:

Unbelievable….. Primo Beer in my neck of the woods. For those who don't know anything about Primo, here's some info. For many years Primo was THE Local beer in Hawaii. Several generations of "locals" were raised on the stuff, and most of my friends have watched "Uncle get all 'yota'" after over imbibing on a six pack or two, or three…… I remember Primo being the "secret ingredient" for an Uncle's Chicken Hekka recipe, of course by the time the Chicken Hekka was being started he's already completed a couple of cycles…..

I had read the Honolulu Advertiser article mentioning Primo's return, and Pomai's post , but the last thing I expected was to see this stocked on store shelves in San Diego.

But there it was, and I'm glad they kept the original logo…..

Actually, I remember thinking that this was pretty heinous stuff that was best suited having a brown paper bag wrapped around it. But I hit drinking age during Primo's waning years, I believe Primo was on the decline from the early eighties. Still, for old times sake, I made sure to grab a couple and this on the other hand was not bad, very light, mildly sweet, nothing to write home about, but like the old Primo slogan went – "chance 'um"……. or was it, "no can hea, get beer in my ear"….. or something like that…..

I hope everyone had a great weekend, I'll be back with something a bit more substantial tomorrow!

Monday Meanderings……

September 7, 2009 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants, Local Kine Stuffs in San Diego, Taco Shops, yoso-silly

I hope everyone had an enjoyable Labor Day. Here are a few tidbits……

New Taco Cart:

This one in an interesting location. The Shell Station on the corner of Clairemont Drive and Denver Street. Because gas at this station is usually more expensive than other station in the area, I really don't pay much attention to the place. But on this day, feeling awfully lazy, I decided to grab some gas here. And to my surprise……..

Unfortunately, I'd already had lunch. Now you can get some Cabeza with your smog check! I'm sure to be trying out the tacos soon.

2606 Clairemont Drive
San Diego, CA 92117

Leilani's Restaurant Closes:

On September third, FOY JenniferB sent me an email informing me that Leilani's Restaurant in Serra Mesa had closed. Earlier this weekend I dropped by and noticed that the Leilani's sign has been removed:

As "Right Cow Left Coast" mentions in a comment on this post, August 25th was the last day of business in this location. The Cass Street location in Pacific Beach is still open. I'm kinda sad that Leinlain's couldn't make a go in Serra Mesa, this strip mall really needs a shot in the arm. I can't say I'm surprised though, during my last few visits, the place was empty, and Leilani was not to be found…. busy with the PB location I guess.

Bummer…..

Chin's on Convoy looks almost ready to go:

The termite tent is off, and a new sign is on…..

This is one I'm looking forward to.

Speaking of Chin's:

I had lunch with some FOYs this past weekend at Chin's on Miramar, and noticed this sign. They'll now be opening for Chinese Breakfast at 930 am on Saturdays and Sundays. I guess they're doing pretty well!

Chin's Seafood & Grill
9355 Kearny Mesa Rd
San Diego, CA 92126

Other Stuff:

I've been kicking back and enjoying reading a couple of other blogs this weekend. It seems everyone is traveling; Judy of Tinker with Food has just returned from New Orleans, and shares some of her eats with us. Foodhoe shares her Alaska Cruise with us. And Kat is sharing a whole passel of posts of their Palau trip with us. I know I'm missing someone……

It's been a nice weekend for reading blogs……..

Mo’s back at Homestyle Hawaiian Island Style Food

September 3, 2009 mmm-yoso Local Kine Stuffs in San Diego, Loco Mocos, Plate Lunch

*** A short update can be found here.

I know a lot of folks were really sad when Mo's Island Grinds closed down. Over the last six months, I was wondering what happened to Mo. I know he was going thru some pretty rough times personally. Then about two weeks ago I get a really strange comment on my A & D Hawaiian BBQ post, "hey kirk, check out this place that just opened up. It's called homestyle hawaiian. Your going to get a kick out of this place. " It from someone named "Mo". Could it be??? Unfortunately, no address or general location for a place called Homestyle Hawaiian. The email address was bogus……. Strange, a mystery, many questions…..

The story finally broke when I received a couple more comments from "Mo". Which led me to the strip mall on the corner of Mesa College Drive and Ashford. Those who've read long enough may recognize this as the former location of Phil-Am Kitchenette.

The old signage is still up, but a banner had been placed on the awning. It read "Homestyle Hawaiian", so I guess I was here? A folding grease pencil board was up in front of the entrance, and in the classic "Mo's" style all the offerings for the day were listed.

The interior is a bit cluttered with Hawaiian kitsch-y knick-knacks, doo-dads, and thing-a-ma-jiggies……

The floors could maybe use a bit of a scrubbing….but there he was, Mo, in the flesh. Open only for about ten days, hadn't really told anyone about opening. Over the last six months, Mo has been keeping himself busy with catering gigs, and just plain laying low.

Of course I wanted my favorite dish, the Korean Chicken, and maybe some Katsu, but Mo was having a new fryer installed, so I'd have to wait until the weekend for that. I settled for a Loco Moco:

Mo told me that portions were a bit smaller than the gin-normous sizes back at Mo's, and prices now start at five bucks for some items. The loco moco was one of the items that has remained the same, three scoops rice (double-deckered, plus one under the burger), 12 oz patty, etc, etc, etc….. It tasted just the way I remembered, you can read about it here.

I realize that Loco Mocos aren't for everyone, but this a pretty good version.

So there you go, Mo is back in action. Currently, he is the only employee, so he'll be taking your order, cooking your food, and working the register. I'm hoping things work out, and will be back for some Korean Chicken in the near future.

Homestyle Hawaiian Island Style Food
7524 Mesa College Drive
San Diego, CA 92111

More Grilling – Revised Kalbi Recipe & Ono Kiawe Charcoal

July 12, 2009 mmm-yoso Cooking, Local Kine Stuffs in San Diego, Recipes

Was it hot enough for you today? Sheesh…… Of course, the Missus decided that She wanted some grilling done this weekend, so why not?

I originally posted a Kalbi recipe over four years ago, and the recipe has changed a bit since then, so I thought I'd post an update. Since we often use our posts as references, I hope that you don't mind if I do this post. We'll be back with another restaurant tomorrow.

You'll notice that these aren't the usual crosscut short ribs that you see in most places. Nowadays, if I'm going to put out the effort ot make Kalbi, I'll always go for the thick cut ribs, and slice them myself. I can go anywhere and get cheapo "LA Kalbi" which is what they call the perpendicular cross-cut ribs. So I'll always go with good quality thick cut ribs.

You can see how I cut these in this post, though I've gotten a bit better at it.

I've also noticed that higher grade ribs are saved for the thick cut ribs at Zion Market. These were really good, perhaps even good enough for Saeng Kalbi (unmarinated ribs).

Another standard when it comes to making the sauce I use is "Mulyeot" – Malt Syrup. Along with adding a nice sheen to the ribs, it adds a more interesting flavor, and is not as sweet. If you have time search out a Barley Malt Syrup, it has better flavor. I was dodging shopping carts and crowds at Zion Market and was in a rush when I bought this. I also tend to add some fruit, usually Asian Pear to my marinade, but in this case settled for some Kiwi. I've stopped using papaya, not because it's not effective, but because it works a bit too well, and can turn your meat to mush. Be aware that my Kalbi is not on the sweet side, so you may want to adjust the sugar level. You may also want to cut the amount in half for smaller quantities. Remember to taste your marinade. Also, the sesame oil is optional, sometimes I use it, sometimes not. I've pared down my recipe over the last couple of years, of course I kinda like things simple…….

Kalbi Marinade

Marinade – enough for 4-5 pounds of ribs
1 Cup Soy Sauce
3/4 Cup Sugar
1/3 Cup Malt Syrup
1/4 Cup Rice Wine – I used Sake
4 Cloves of Garlic
4 Stalks Green Onion
1 Kiwi or 1/3 Asian Pear
1-2 Tb Sesame Oil

– Roughly chop garlic, fruit, and green onion and place in a blender.
– Add soy sauce, sugar, and malt syrup and blend.
– Add rice wine and sesame oil, and briefly blend.
– Taste and adjust flavor.
– Marinade ribs at least 6 hours, but no more than 16.

The Missus' grilled mushroom of the day was Eryngii (King Mushrooms). Simply seasoned with sea salt and olive oil, thse were really good. I chose mushrooms that weren't too large, large one's might be attractive, but for grilling I've found them tough and dry.

Ono Kiawe Charcoal.

While just taking a quick look at Barbeques Galore…..where I just like to kinda look around, but had never bought anything, I saw this bag:

Wow, Kiawe Charcoal! Man, I haven't even heard the word Kiawe for who knows how long. As I inspected the bag, a salesman swooped in to make a sale. I quickly noticed the "Product of Mexico" on the bag, which is not a big deal since Kiawe is a species of Mesquite . I was more concerned about this being sold as "A Hawaiian tradition". Of course, it was quickly pointed out that it also said "Created in Hawaii", and was told that the wood comes from Hawaii, but is made into Charcoal in Mexico. I wasn't fully sold on that, but what the heck…...

Now, I'm not a charcoal expert, nor an expert on anything really, but this tasted pretty close to what I remembered. It also popped and crackled like crazy, and ashed(makes a good bit of ash) up just like Kiawe. Good flavor though. Also, some of the chunks were more like stumps….they were huge and unwieldy, and needed to be broken down. It lights quickly and burns fast, I'd recommend mixing with another hardwood charcoal.

As you can see, Sammy's still not quite sold…though he did think the rib bones were mighty tasty.

I hope you managed to keep cool over this hot weekend!

A & D Hawaiian BBQ – National City

June 7, 2009 mmm-yoso Chicken Wings, Local Kine Stuffs in San Diego, Loco Mocos, Plate Lunch

**** A&D has closed

Well, there I was in Grove Plaza Center with the intent of grabbing a bite at Karihan. Unfortunately, there was no Kare-Kare on this morning, and for some reason, all of the food looked like it had been "sitting around" for quite a while….at 11am in the morning. So I decided to head next door to A&D Hawaiian BBQ.

I've been kinda down on the whole Hawaiian BBQ thing………most of it seems to be a bunch of folks who could care less about what they plop on a plate, who are just looking to make some $$$ (replacing Spam with Treet – heresy I say!). And frankly, after looking over the menu at A&D, full of the usual suspects, I wasn't particularly moved. But it had been so long since I've had even a borderline terrible Lau Lau, that I was willing to sell my soul, and drop my standards. Luckily, or perhaps unluckily, there was no Lau Lau, only Kalua Pork available.

So I made an adjustment, and placed my order, and waited. Meanwhile, I gazed upon the borderline neon green walls. During my wait, the very nice Woman manning the counter was constantly cleaning. Now A&D isn't the most visually pleasing little place, the tables have various names, initials, and other verbiage carved into them, and it does look a bit aged for a place that's only been in this location for a year, but man this woman was really cleaning……

Unable to make a decision, I had ordered the ubiquitous "BBQ Mix" ($7.29). The nice lady brought the styrofoam container over to my table, and when I grabbed it, it felt like it must've weighed two pounds…..

And everything was hot…so hot that it steamed up my camera lens, and I had to wait for a minute or two to take photos. As with all these BBQ Mix plates, all the regulars were in attendance. The BBQ Short Ribs…please don't call them Kalbi….they are about as close to Kalbi as I am to Brad Pitt. That said, these were not bad, not as tough as the usual cross cut short ribs are, the marinade is not as sweet as many, which is fine with me.

The BBQ Beef was well marinated, pulling toward more of a ginger-shoyu flavor. It was also fairly tender, and without the usual "sugi", which is what we call nylon fishing line back home, the usual tough, and inedible tendon that is usually found.

The BBQ chicken looked on the light side, but was pretty tender. The norm would be chicken that had been marinated, pre-cooked, dumped back into a steam tray with marinade, and reheated before serving, making it really tough. I really got the feeling, based on the wait time, and how hot everything was, that these folks cook their stuff to order.

I really liked the Mac Salad, it was nice and cold, with a perfect amount of mayo, and some salt for a change. The rice was a bit hard and dry, though.

There was one more item that I had to order. On the door is a sign. That sign says "6 Piece Chicken Wing Special – $1.99". Yes, it seems that A&D is in the Salt and Pepper Chicken wing business.

The batter on these is light, and crisp, and the chicken is juicy, but it does not hold up well, and lacks the "crack-like" addictive flavor.

This way too much food for me, so I took half of it home. What I thought was interesting, was that the Missus had pretty much the same opinion. And I didn't even tell Her what I thought of the food. They say after you've been married for a while……….

A few weeks later, I was in the area, and decided to drop by A&D again. This time I paid a bit more heed to the menu, and had to chuckle at the "Healthy Meals" portion. since when is Chicken Katsu or Crispy Shrimp, considered healthy? Perhaps they mean a "healthy appetite"?

Being the predictable person I am, I of course ordered:

Yes, a Loco Moco ($6.99). I readily admit that I have a thing about the two easy over eggs, hamburger patties, gravy, over rice. It is something that I long for on a visceral level. So how does this rate on the modified "Rubio Scale", created by James Rubio of Big Island Grinds. For those not familiar with the scale, you can check out my post from waaaaay back in 2005. And in case you're wondering, why the Big Island? It is believed that the Loco Moco was created on the Big Island circa 1949. Sorry to say that I wasn't able to sample the Loco from the Lincoln Grill, but the Missus and I have had more than our share from Cafe100.

So moving right along…….

#1 – The Burger – Pure and simple pre-formed. Tough. – 2.0 points

#2 Eggs – A bite overcooked for me. But worse of all, they didn't clean the griddle before frying the eggs. Too many black, "mystery bits". – 1.0 points

#3 Rice – Perfectly cooked this time. – 3.0 points

#4 Gravy – Wow, really salty….really, really, salty. I've hardly ever left gravy to sit and congeal, but had to this time. – 1.0 points.

#5 Stuffs – In this case the Macaroni Salad, which wasn't as good as my previous visit, but still pretty good. – 3.0 points.

For a total of 13.0 points, which ranks it as being fairly mediocre, even by Hawaiian BBQ standards.

Overall, A&D serves up standard Hawaiian BBQ fare. I felt that with regards to the BBQ, you get a pretty hefty size portion of food, which was pretty good. There are also $4.99 specials such as Chicken Katsu. The service was, at least for me, a notch above the standard indifferent service at most of these places.

A&D Hawaiian BBQ
Grove Plaza Center
2220 Plaza Blvd
National City, CA 91950

Open Daily – 11am – 9pm

Some Revisits: Do Re Mi House and Leilani’s Restaurant

March 30, 2009 mmm-yoso Korean Restaurants, Local Kine Stuffs in San Diego, Loco Mocos, Plate Lunch

**** Both Do Re Mi House and the Serra Mesa location of Leilani's have closed

Do Re Mi House:

Hard to believe that I hadn't been back here for over three years. Sometime during that period the lettering on the windows have been redone, and now in addition to the Korean Food, it says they serve "Japanese Traditional Food"?!?? The menu looked pretty much the same, as did the restaurant, though they've removed the back partition to the place. And lunch is still pretty cheap, the Bulgogi Lunch Special at the time of my visit (December) was still $5.99. Looked exactly the same as well.

Funny how tastes change, I found the Bulgogi to be on the sweet side, though it was fairly tender, and the mandoo were better than on my last visit. Still, not bad, if the price is still $5.99.

And I still love the potatoes here. If this visit is any indication, service has now become the typical "dump and duck"…..

Do Re Mi House
8199 Clairemont Mesa Blvd Ste M
San Diego, CA 92111

My previous post on Do Re Mi House can be found here.

Leilani's Restaurant:

Also from back in December. I got my Loco Moco fix from Leilani's Restaurant. This of course meant a Hilo Loco for me:

In some ways it was the same dependable Loco……nice gravy, hand formed patty, lean, and perhaps on the tough side, but the same as usual, as were the eggs, which could have been a bit more crisp, but were decently runny……

And there was a good amount of gravy over everything. But on this visit, I felt like something was missing…….there was a good amount of Kielbasa and Portuguese Sausage in the fried rice, which was cooked just right, but the entire package tasted strangely bland…….like they forgot to season things……

With this costing ten bucks, maybe I'm just expecting more, or maybe it was just an off day? Though the mac salad was really, really, good on this day…so good I forgot to take a photo! Maybe I need to head back to PB, and see how Leilani is doing?

Leilani's Hawaiian Restaurant
3232 Greyling Drive
San Diego, CA 92123
858-565-4637

My previous post on Leilani's can be found here.