Markets & Grocers – Page 11

Bologna – AF Tamburini, San Petronio Basilica, and Other “Stuffs”

February 17, 2019 mmm-yoso Emilia-Romagna, Italy, Italy, Markets & Grocers, Travel

While we were sad at having to leave Modena, it was time to head back to Bologna, and what was to be the last leg of our trip to Emilia-Romagna.

Our apartment was located just north of the city center, which made it quite convenient for us. We'd arrived a bit early, but were able to drop off our bags and head on out to get some lunch. We headed into the area called Quadrilatero; a wonderful maze of streets and home to the oldest market in Bologna. There are tons of little shops and we walked into the Librerie.coop Ambasciatori, a bookstore and home to Eatlaly in Bologna….no not the crazy Eataly World, but an interesting food shop in the middle of a bookstore.

Where you could browse the aisles for the latest bestseller…..for some reason, I still love bookstores….aaah, the fragrance of new books in the air….and perhaps, like us, purchase some porcini cream.

Librerie.coop Ambasciatori
Via degli Orefici 19
Bologna, Italy

And just steps away, next to the plaque of Father Marella, whom I read used to collect money for the poor and homeless on this corner is AF Tamburini; a pretty well known deli and wine bar.

And walking through the door….well; I could smell heaven.

There an interesting mix of locals and tourists here. The tourist go for the Prosciutto and Mortadella and other stuffs; while I had a few other things on my mind.

And of course we got some mortadella…..

Tamburini
Via Caprarie 1
Bologna, Italy

And while we wondered around a bit more……

But in the end, we headed back to Piazza Maggiore.

To sit with the folks on the stairs of San Petronio Basilica and watch the crowds of Bologna pass by.

I gotta say; the ciccioli….all the wonderful parts of the pig was my favorite; like the best head cheese.

Such amazing diverse textures, so "swiney"….wonderful!

The Mortadella isn't your Mom's baloney….it was porky, but not salty.

The Culatello di Zebello was fine; cheesy,porky, slightly briney-sweet…..but perhaps by this time I was getting a bit jaded?

After our impromptu lunch; we decided to check out the Basilica.

And we're glad we did. As with so many of these historic religious structures there is so much to see and so many stories. For us; there was one thing that really stood out….it was on the floor.

It was a roped off interesting line that we tried to figure out.

In a roped out section of the Basilica is Cassini's meridian line. In which Cassini got permission to make a hole in the roof of the Basilica of San Petronio and put this strip on the floor.

Which is; in simple terms an astronomical calendar.

It was quite an interesting visit.

After our nice visit we headed back out and wouldn't you know…..we came across another church.

This one is the church of Santa Maria Della Vita.

As we wandered the city, we came to appreciate the vibrant youthful feel along with the history.

And soon enough, we came upon a bustling shop where the Missus grabbed a snack.

So, the Missus enjoyed Her snack….what is interesting is that Sfoglia refers to old style pasta made by hand in the region. So perhaps next time.

Sfoglia Rina
Via Castiglione 5A
Bologna, Italy

We were enjoying our time in Bologna!

Lana’i – Reacquainting Myself and Richard’s Market

February 12, 2019 mmm-yoso Lanai, Markets & Grocers, Poke, Travel

When planning our trip back "home", the Missus and I discussed maybe checking out a neighbor island. In my hearts of hearts I was thinking about Lana'i. It had been nearly seven years since we last visited. Since then Larry Ellison had bought the island. And while the rhetoric sounded right; turning the island into an " environmentally friendly, self sustaining, city", I had my doubts. While I don't visit the island very often, I have roots there, my dad is from the island. It turns out my in-laws were quite excited about visiting Lana'i as well. And so we decided to visit.

And while there were some changes; for instance, there's no more $35 unlimited shuttle use; with only 30 miles of paved road on the island, I really didn't think I'd be driving. But heck, I went ahead and looked for a rental car….turns out the only car rental company on the island, Dollar, had shut down. So maybe Lana'i is trying to minimize the carbon footprint? I did manage to track down a guy who rented out jeeps….no, I wasn't going to take my in-laws four-wheeling, but we'd have some freedom to check things out.

In typical Lana'i fashion; I found the jeep in the 72 hour parking, keys and paperwork under the front seat. And we were underway. We got in early, so we dropped our bags off at the Hotel Lana'i (more on that further down) and headed off.

I decided to first drive up Keomuku Road. While we wouldn't be visiting Shipwreck Beach. the Petroglyphs, or the abandoned town of Keomuku, where they took a small fishing village and turned it into a sugar plantation. Story goes, in building the infrastructure for the sugar business they destroyed sacred stones and the Gods got angry; which brought on a plague epidemic and turned all the available fresh water into salt water. It's now abandoned and quite a sight to see. I've been there twice….

We headed up Lanai Avenue, heeding the 15mph speed limit, taking a turn at Keomuku Highway, which leads up to the Lodge at Koele, which is under going some major renovations. I was told it's going to become some kind of "wellness retreat"?

Stopping across the construction; I stopped when I noticed the wonderful pastureland and some ponies.

I'm fairly certain my in-laws had never see this part of Hawai'i; the Cook Pines, the pastures…..the curious and friendly ponies…..

Who walked right on up to us.

This little fellow was especially curious and friendly.

Then it was the slow drive up the road.

Stopping often along the way for photo-ops….

Like the view of Moloka'i and the Shipwreck on Shipwreck Beach.

It was such a lovely day.

On the drive back; I stopped so we could take in the view of Lana'i City.

It was nearly time for lunch. Sadly, I'd read that Lana'i 'Ohana Poke Market and even more regretfully, Canoes Lana'i, which drew from the lineage of the Tanigawa family and S&T Properties, where I had my first hamburger, had closed. I'd read the Richard's Market, which was really run down the last time I saw the place….everyone used to go to Pine Isles, had been renovated, and now had poke.

Oh my goodness….I don't even recognize the place!

Very modern; lots of prepared foods……

And they did poke….so we got us (and the in-laws) poke bowls to share….on brown rice. Large bowl $9.99 and enough for two!

They even threw some kimchi on top for the Missus! The spicy mayo had too much mayo for me; but the limu poke had a good amount of ogo, wasn't too salty, the fish was decent quality. The shoyu poke wasn't drenched in shoyu and was quite good. Like I said, enough for the two of us. For some reason, the nutty brown rice goes pretty well with poke….ok, there; I've said it.

This sure wasn't the Richard's that I remembered! And good lord; the place is open until 10pm these days!

Richard's Market
434 8th St
Lanai City, HI 96763

After lunch, I drove down to Hulopo'e Beach to see the Puupehe – the "Sweetheart Rock", which I've written about before.

While walking up Puu Pehe, I heard one of the "bruddah's" complain about how crowded the beach was because it was a holiday.

It's all relative, right?

These folks were having a grand old time….that's a portable karaoke machine you see on the left.

When it was time to check in, we headed back to the Hotel Lana'i for a break before dinner. The exterior looks the same…..

But the hotel has undergone its first renovation since being built in 1923.

And oh my goodness; from the wood paneling, to the large screen television (remember when we had on the "only television on the property" back in 2012?), to Japanese toilets, to iPad controls.

Sarah, the amazingly friendly and wonderful front desk person was a joy; friendly, warm, I really enjoyed talking to her about old time Lana'i and the recent changes…..

And that cottage we stayed at on our last stay is being renovated. I'm wondering what that'll be like?

And…maybe not so strangely, I felt so relaxed, something that has been escaping me over the last couple of years.

It's the magic of Lana'i I guess.

Eating inside HMart

January 24, 2019 Cathy Korean Restaurants, Markets & Grocers, What Cathy Eats!

Here you are, reading mmm-yoso!!!, a blog about food, again. Welcome. Kirk is enjoying some time off and Cathy is writing.

We've had HMart in San Diego since 2012. There are only a few 'food court' selections inside the store, unlike at the Super H Mart in Diamond Bar (mentioned in the middle of that post). There is one "Enter" and one "Exit" door. To the right of the 'Enter" is a small kitchen, cooking and wrapping food for those who want to 'Grab and Go'. There is a small seating area (including two corner chairs which are useless). The kitchen prepared meals are pictured above the 'By the Pound' items. ($8.50/lb)(Hot or Cold)
The hot items are plentiful, protein based (other than rice) and kept fresh, since the cooking area is three steps behind the trays.
The cold area has a great selection, especially if you are thinking about buying something you've seen pre-packed in the refrigerated area of the store. There's also sliced sushi roll pieces, pork and tofu if you want cold protein.
We grabbed a few items on this visit before beginning to shop. Cold items were kimchi, seaweed salad and marinated mushrooms. All were good (nice flavor/mild heat of kimchi) and complimentary to the hot items- fried squid, fried head-on shrimp and breaded, fried pork in a sweet sauce. Total for these two boxes was $6. The item on the bottom right was just packed (still warm) and placed in the open refrigerated area.
Pan fried crab cake ($3.50). Fresh vegetables, plenty of crab, crispy fry. A good meal on its own.

There's a dispenser of hot water, cups, utensils and condiments in the eating area, so you can have a decent meal.

HMart 9440 Mira Mesa Boulevard San Diego 92126 (858)577-0060 Open 8 a.m.-10 p.m. daily Website

NEW LOCATION (opening in February): 7725 Balboa Avenue (SE corner at the 805) San Diego 92117 (same parking lot as the 24 Hour Fitness)

Saturday Stuffs – Scenes from the Little Italy Mercato, Tuna Harbor Dockside Market, and Other “stuffs”

January 5, 2019 mmm-yoso Exploring San Diego, Farmer's Markets/Night Market, Markets & Grocers, yoso-silly

I'll readily admit; my posts are mostly stream of consciousness. And sometimes; it's just better to just post photos. I needed to get my car serviced today. Instead of waiting around; I decided to catch the Trolley, something I used to enjoy, but haven't done in ages…..and just head out and take in San Diego. So; I headed off to the Little Italy Mercato, then walked down to the Tuna Harbor Dockside Market. Instead of some long-winded post; here are some photos of an overcast, yet fun day.

Because of some delays on the Green Line West; I decided to take a round about way; doing the Orange Line to Downtown; getting off at Civic Center and walking to Little Italy. Where I passed an iconic "name" in San Diego….whose commercials you couldn't miss if you lived here in the 90's and "aughts".

I'd heard that Mexican Fiesta; whose existence always reminded me of the Children's book, The Little House had closed. And yes, it has….

I think pooches outnumber children here……

I then walked on over to Seaport Village…..

Man, I haven't been around here in at least a decade….

Things looked a bit depressed; many closed businesses.

Though it's always fun to "pooch watch"……

The Dockside Market was close by; so I headed on over.

A somewhat interesting mix of folks…..

I decided to grab an Americano from here…..

And guess who I saw???

And even coming back around again while I finished my coffee.

Since it was close by; I decided to check out Unconditional Surrender by Seward Johnson.

It was an overcast day; with not too many tourists.

Just like I don't visit Waikiki when I'm back "home"; I really don't get down here to often.

I was glad to have some time on my hands to just reacquaint myself with this area.

And then of course…..it was time for lunch!

Happy New Year!

January 1, 2019 mmm-yoso French Restaurants, Markets & Grocers, yoso-silly

Happy New Year! It's another one in the books and it was a pretty chilly (by San Diego standards) and wet one as well.

It's been a busy year for me; but I still made it out yesterday, to do, as I've done since 2005, to check out the variety of Osechi set out by our local Japanese Markets. Like I noted from back in 2017 these markets have really scaled back and these days they ask folks to put in orders. I started with Mitsuwa….which might have been a mistake as there wasn't much of anything out at 9am.

Nijiya was bustling at 915.

And I ended getting a few items there.

Marukai didn't have much at all.

The Missus wanted something different for New Years Day this year; so I didn't do quite as much shopping….at least at these places as usual.

And, just like last year, we had the New Years Eve dinner at Et Voila! We brought along a bottle of Champagne from our favorite little Champagne House in Écueil. This was our favorite while doing tastings in Champagne. It's from a very small "house"; it's literally under a house and they do not ship or sell, via normal channels in the US.

I gotta say; even though some of the dishes were quite similar to last year; I think Et Voila has stepped up their game. There were a few things we didn't care for; the pheasant was too dry and the mushroom cream sauce too sweet, but as a whole this was a very nice meal.

The Lobster Bavarois with Périgord Truffle Caviar – just plain delici-yoso!!!

Dorade and Hamachi Crudo.

Grilled Blue Prawns and Snow Crab Raviolis – prawns were very tasty but a bit over-cooked.

Seared Maine Diver Scallops – seared perfectly, super tender. The uni espuma was quite interesting.

I'm usually not a big fan of the meat and poultry at ET; but this Beef Tenderloin was perfectly cooked and almost fork tender and that shaved black truffle didn't hurt things at all.

The afore mentioned Pheasant Breast Ballotine with Chestnut Gnocchi.

And of course dessert….which the Missus enjoyed.

Et Voilà!
3015 Adams Ave
San Diego, CA 92116

As for New Years; well, no Nishime this year….instead the Missus wanted Matzo Ball Soup??? Go figure…. So on Saturday I went to Wing Lee Poultry and bought a chicken and made the soup on Sunday. Skimmed and strained on Monday, made the Matzo Balls and let it soak in the goodness, ready for today.

As for me….well, I went fairly traditional.

We here at mmm-yoso would like to send out our best wishes for a wonderful 2019!

Thanks for stopping by!

Modena – Mercato Albinelli and Lunch at Trattoria Il Fantino

December 26, 2018 mmm-yoso Emilia-Romagna, Italy, Italian Restaurants, Italy, Markets & Grocers, Travel

In the end we were kind of sad that we only spent two evenings and one full day in Modena. We really enjoyed the relaxed and friendly vibe of the city.

We woke in the morning and decided just to take it rather easy. We'd visit the Mercato Albinelli, wander around and bit, have some lunch, then take a nap. Our location and the apartment was beyond awesome; modern, clean, and right around the corner from the main street in Modena, via Emilia. A just short walk; maybe a half mile or so down the street is Piazza Grande and the Duomo, Modena Cathedral.

Head down via Luigi Albinelli and you'll run into Mercato Albinelli.

Which is quite a traditional market. It was pretty quiet on this day as we browsed the aisles.

With all the standards. We really wanted to check out all the hand made pastas and weren't disappointed in the varieties…..

And we got a nice little treat when we were ogling the pasta at this stand.

The really nice woman saw us checking out the pasta and suddenly appeared with two tortellini on toothpicks for us to try. She smiled and passed it to us over the counter….the Missus and I looked at each other since the pasta wasn't cooked. But we couldn't turn down this kind gesture and ate it…..it was delici- yoso!!! Tender, cheesy, some nice savory-saltiness from the salumi…..man, it was good! The shop owner obviously knew we weren't going to buy anything, but just wanted us to try her product. It made our morning.

We ended our visit by having some espresso at a little shop around the corner from the mecato.

The name of which escapes me. But it was a nice little break.

We then walked back to Piazza Grande. The cathedral really stands out; as does Torre Dell'Orologio, the clock tower.

When you walk along the south end of Piazza Grande to the west and Corso Duomo; you pass through a really neat building that crosses over the street.

This will being you around to the front of the cathedral.

Right down the street is another Piazza. this one is the Piazza della Torre; the Torre Ghirlandina, the bell tower of Modena. Which rises 290 feet above the city. work started in 1167 and was completed in 1319. It is considered one of the symbols of Modena.

The cathedral, Piazza Grande, and the towers is considered a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We should have spent more time exploring; but I'm certain we'll return one day.

The statue in front of the tower is of Italian writer Alessandro Tassoni who was born in Modena.

At this point, the Missus was off shopping…….

She enjoyed exploring the shops in the area…… Meanwhile, I just took in the sights.

This is the Church of San Giovanni Battista.

This is the Monumento a Ludovico Antonio Muratori a famous historian.

This church is the Chiesa del Voto.

Before we knew it; it was almost past lunch time….well, at least lunchtime for us, it was edging past noon.

Where to go for lunch? Well, there was a place fairly close to the apartment I had on my list. I'm not sure where I first heard of the place. Located on a tiny side street, Via Donzi we found Trattoria Il Fantino.

The clock had just struck 1230 and the place had just opened.

The folks here were very friendly. I'd read that the ribs were a specialty, but we decided on just some pasta since we had major dinner reservations.

The Missus picked a real winner; the Strigoli con Funghi Porcini e Speck, only 9 Euros.

Strigoli, sometimes called stridoli….which I was told meant something like "fat worms", were noting of the sort……worms that is. This wonderfully toothsome and substantial pasta had an amazing chew. You weren't looking for anything stretchy here, the closest I've had in terms of texture is the Strozzapreti at Maestoso. Nice woody-earthy tones from the porcini; the speck added a touch of saltiness to the dish. Very nice.

You know what I got, right?

The Tortellini en Brodo of course! I just couldn't get enough of this dish. Bless the hen who gave her life….and by the deep chicken flavor of the broth her soul for my pleasure. The Tortellini had just the right amount of cheese and salumi. It was cooked perfectly.

And as a digestif…..well some Nocino – walnut liquor.

The place had totally filled up by the time we were half way though our meal. We'd lucked out as they had to turn people away……

This was a very nice meal; friendly service, priced right. I'd like to return to try out those ribs….and another bowl of tortellini en brodo of course!

Trattoria Il Fantino
Via Donzi 7
Modena, Italy

We were enjoying our time in Modena.

SHOMI NOODS @Cravings by 99Ranch (Chino)

November 10, 2018 Cathy Markets & Grocers, Ontario/Riverside/San Bernadino, CA, What Cathy Eats!

Well. Here you are wondering about that (scandalous!) title while looking at mmm-yoso!!!, a food blog. Cathy is writing today while Kirk and His Missus are busy doing other things.

The other day, while recovering from a long day working for the Registrar of Voters, the internet showed up on my iPad. Something about a 'new concept' for 99 Ranch, the local grocery that has two locations in San Diego, each with small Food Court areas. Cravings is in Chino (a 90 minute drive on the weekend with no traffic if you leave early), opened on October 20 and is half warehouse, half Food Court and very interesting.
Walk in and to the right is the Food Court area. We weren't very hungry (had had breakfast and this was a spur of the moment drive) and decided on the Takoyaki ($5.45) and Karaage ($5.95) from the ramen place (I didn't say the name out loud until we were driving home and realized the alliteration and literally did Laugh Out Loud).

{There are ten businesses in the Food Court area; not all were open and several were very crowded. Photos to follow this food portion of the blogging}

The takoyaki, crispy on the outside, gooey on the inside filled with minced octopus were wonderful - you can see the flaky skin, the gooey interior and some of the octopus in this cross section bite. The thick slices of dried bonito flakes were 'dancing' on the freshly fried octopus balls. Six pieces made a great snack.
Do not be afraid of the karaage. It is dark,
does looked burned,
but it has been marinated and only lightly coated in flour and was moist inside, crispy and light. Also, there was plenty of chicken. Another perfect snack.

So, you may be wondering about the rest of the Food Court. Here are some photos.
Piju (adult beverages and bar snacks) (launched by Cravings)Madbun (meat or ice cream stuffed house made baked or steamed bao/buns)
Wingman (fried chicken with rice, fries or in a cone)
Dos Chinos (Latin Asian Grub)
Oi Asian Fusion (Filipino) Cauldron Ice Cream ( https://www.cauldronicecream.com )
Pinky Promise, a patisserie/modern Taiwanese bakery.
Tenori (Japanese- rolls and rice bowls)
Red Envelope (freshly fried and grilled fish and shrimp and chips(Cajun style)). To the left is where you can park your cart after paying, so as not to crowd the Food Court area.

Views from the Food Court toward the Warehouse area. There are bulk items and plenty of freezer items and the fresh produce area has one entire refrigerated/closed door area as well as an open shelving area, but almost everything is pre-packed, unlike the regular 99 Ranch store.

Cravings by 99Ranch 4024 Grand Avenue Chino, CA (Chino Spectrum Mall) (909) 760-8899 website Market open daily 10 a.m., Food Court open daily 11 a.m.

Paris – Marché Monge, Rue Montorgueil Market Steet, and More Croissants

October 20, 2018 mmm-yoso Bakery, Croissants, Farmer's Markets/Night Market, Markets & Grocers, Paris, France, Travel

During our last full day in Paris, we made no plans, "réservations pour le dîner, oui", but really had no real plans other than that.

So, during our breakfast at the Hotel Monge, we came up with our plans for the morning.

Well, at least a place to start. We headed down Rue Monge, one block later we headed west on Rue Lacépède, then turning down Rue Mouffetard. Several blocks down starts the really well known part of Rue Mouffetard, known as Marché Mouffetard, the street that Hemingway dubbed as "A Moveable Feast".

Things were quiet on this morning.

It was still too early in the morning it seems. So when we got to the Paroisse Saint Medard, we decided to head back up to Place Monge. We'd return to Rue Mouffetard the next morning.

At Place Monge; we noticed that it was market day.

The entire square was taken over with booths selling prepared food, produce, meat, and of course fromage.

We always enjoy these markets, as we get to watch everyday life.

And having been to a couple of places in France, we had to smile at places that jogged our memory.

Remember the "Route du foie gras"?

And having just returned from Strasbourg, I just had to crack up when I saw this…..

I recalled how the Missus could not pass up that choucroute garnie?

I did ask the Missus if She wanted some; but She wistfully told me; "I'm still full and it's too early in the morning". so perhaps we'll have to head back to Alsace one of these days.

From here we headed up Rue Monge.

Crossed over the Seine on Boulevard du Palais.

This was the busy 1st Arrondissement. There's a lot going on here; the Louvre, the Jardine de Tuileries, Jardin du Palais Royal, it's all here.

That's the Fontaine du Palmier on Place du Châtelet, like may things in Paris, it has quite a story.

The Tour Saint-Jacques (Saint-Jacques Tower), once part of Church of Saint-Jacques-de-la-Boucherie ("Saint James of the butchers"), which was demolished in 1793. All that remains is the tower.

The tower indicated that we were getting close to our next destination.

Once we came across Les Halles, which used to be the central market and has a great long history. It was demolished in 1971 and replaced with the Les Halles Forum a shopping mall.

A short turn right and you're on Rue Montorgueil; one of the most well known Market Street….as like we were often told; is "très différent du marché de rue"….the difference between a "street market" and a "market street".

There are businesses, like La Maison Stohrer to the right; established in 1730, that claims to have invented Rum Baba.

There's an interesting mix of tourists…..

And locals……

It's a wonderful miasma of sights, sounds, and smells.

I'd been told by some folks that people in Paris were quite rude. And while we had run into a few folks who basically didn't want anything to do with tourists……there were so many wonderful folks like the nice woman who saw us staring at the Rue Montorgueil sign and came up to us and asked, "Monsieur, Madame, are you lost, do you need some help?" We never forget these moments as it makes us better human beings. We are all more alike then we are different. It is much harder to be cruel and cold than it is to be kind.

We had done our exploring for the day and decided to head back to the hotel. We knew that lunch really wasn't in the cards. The Missus decided that perhaps we should continue our "croissant quest" on Rue Monge.

Maison Gregoire was a block away from our hotel. Of course we got the croissant "au buerre" (croissants made with butter, not margarine).

This one was a little light in the butter side of things and on the dry side. In terms of flakiness and lightness it hit the mark.

Maison Grégoire
69 rue Monge
75005 Paris, France

Catty corner from Maison Grégoire is another Artisan Boulangerie.

Same drill…except when I removed the croissant from the package….good lord!

Burnt, bitter,….incinerated. Dry as all heck. The lady in the bakery seemed detached and it seems that she just didn't care. This was horrible.

Boulangerie Teillet Philippe
66 rue Monge
75005 Paris, France

Our quest for a favorite croissant continues…….

Strasbourg – Market Day and More Eating at the Christmas Market (Place Broglie)

September 29, 2018 mmm-yoso Alsace, Festivals & Events, France, Markets & Grocers, Travel

We awoke fairly early on our last day in Strasbourg. Our short trip here just went by in a flash.

Since our train wouldn't be leaving until around 130; we asked the folks who managed the apartment if we could pack and leave our luggage there until it was time to head off to the train station at around noon. As with most folks who run these properties, it was no problem.

Even though we had managed to walk around much of the Grande Île and even did a boat tour, there's a lot that we missed. Like the Église protestante Saint-Pierre-le-Jeune, which was basically two blocks from where we were staying.

These places would just have to wait until next time……

On this brisk morning; there was a produce market going on….so we stopped by to check things out.

So, in addition to all the ornament and other stands; many of which were already open at 9am…..

There were folks pulling along wheeled shopping baskets……

We did one more "tour" of Grande Île, walking through Petit France, and taking time to take photos in front of the Christmas Tree at Place Kléber. Which apparently was the thing to do….

This is a statue of Jean-Baptiste Kléber ,the square's namesake; a Military General and Architect who was born in Strasbourg.

A lot of the fun was just wandering around and watching the folks out and about on this morning.

Soon enough; it was time to grab a bite to eat before grabbing our bags and heading back to Paris. You know what the Missus wanted, right?

So we got back to Place Broglie…..

And while the Missus went off in search of more Choucroute Garnie; I found this rather enticing sausage stand.

The guy working here was a hoot. After a good bonjour…..basically using up all the French I knew. I pointed to the great looking sausages with caramelized onions in the tray. He smile and asked me where I was from. I told him "America"; he then said, "good, you want zee hot dog?" He cracked me up! I ordered one; and he actually went ahead and made one up for me fresh. really nice. Before he handed the foot long sausage in a baguette to me he asked: "you want zee ket-chup?" I laughed and said "non merci monsieur – my friends from Chicago would kill me if I put ketchup on my hotdog!" He laughed and said; "so monsieur….you are purist?" And we both cracked up…..the sausage guy….and yours truly; the hot dog "purist"!

By the way; this was delicious; the forcemeat style sausage had an amazing snap, was perfectly seasoned. The mustard added a mild pungency and those onions were really sweet.

But the most amazing thing about this was the baguette; light, crusty, yeasty….oh man; even the Missus, who ate half of this by the way, in addition to what She got, enjoyed "zee hot dog!"

Of course She got more sausages and sauerkraut. Man, I can't believe how much of this stuff She can put away. Oh well, at least She was having a blast.

We finished up our early lunch, picked up our bags from the apartment, and headed off to Strasbourg Station.

We had really enjoyed our stay in joyous, colorful Strasbourg. I'm hoping to return one day.

San Francisco – Lotta’s Fountain, the Ferry Building, a Walk Along the Bay, and the Fort Mason Center Farmer’s Market

September 22, 2018 mmm-yoso Caffeine Fix, Markets & Grocers, San Francisco and Silicon Valley, Travel

We must have both been exhausted. After a very nice dinner at Mourad, the Missus and I basically slept ten hours! We got up and with no real plans in mind, decided to take a stroll. Since it had been over a decade and a half since we'd been in the city, we thought a walk along San Francisco Bay might be fun; starting at the Ferry Building, ending near Fort Mason.

So, we headed down Market Street. We passed Lotta's Fountain.

This brass fountain was a gift to the city of San Francisco from Lotta Crabtree, a well known Entertainer, you can read more about her here. According to Atlas Obscura, Lotta loved San Francisco and donated this fountain to the city in 1875. And that would be just a "nice story" if not for the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake. The earthquake damage and fires left the city in ruins. Lotta's Fountain though, was still standing and became an important landmark and meeting place for survivors of that disaster. Even though the last known survivor of the earthquake died in 2016, a quake remembrance and ceremony is held at this spot at 512am on April 18 of every year. The exact time the quake struck San Francisco.

This one is the Mechanics Monument,

The five figures in the monument are working a metal punching machine.

And then there's the Vaillancourt Fountain.

A fountain build of concrete squares that folks love to hate. One of the searches that comes up when typing in "Vaillancourt Fountain" is this:

We crossed the street to the Ferry Building, which we had visited before.

And picked up Cold Brew from Blue Bottle Coffee.

It had wonderful fruity tones and was just the pick-me-up we needed.

Blue Bottle Coffee
Ferry Building, One San Francisco Bay Trail
San Francisco, CA 94111

And caffeine in hand we were on our way.

It was a slightly hazy day, but the sun was out, and the temperature was fifteen degrees cooler than San Diego.

We wandered out to Pier 7, and enjoyed the view of the Transamerica Building.

We enjoyed a rather brisk walk up the Embarcadero……..eventually getting to all the tourists at Pier 39 and Fisherman's Wharf.

The haze had started to clear out and I finally got a decent shot of Alcatraz Island.

We meandered past all the tourist traps and got to Ghirardelli Square. Man, I don't recall it being so packed in like this when we last visited all those years ago.

As we neared Laguna Street, we noticed folks carrying bags filled with produce, so we followed the trail and ended up at Fort Mason Center where it was Market Day.

We spent a good forty-five minutes checking out the various stands and sampling the fruit….man, that yellow watermelon was so good.

It was a nice break….a little slice of life. If we lived in the area, this would truly be a weekly stop for us.

Fort Mason Center Farmers' Market
Marina Blvd, San Francisco, CA 94109
Sunday 930am – 130pm

From here; the plan was to grab an early lunch from one of the places on Chestnut Street, so we headed off in that direction.

But after sampling the produce at the Farmers Market and checking out the eating establishments on Chestnut Street, The Missus remained uninspired. So She told me; "let's head back to Chinatown". By heading back, She meant "walk". And then added; let's do it via Lombard Street. Yikes……

So I huffed and puffed my way up Lombard.

Instead of walking down that crooked one block part of Lombard Street we headed a few blocks over and walked down Filbert.

Eventually we made it too Columbus Street, then Jackson. Now the question was, where to eat?

Stay tuned!