Markets & Grocers – Page 19

Roma Market (Escondido) shopping and eating “The Sandwich” inside the market

May 27, 2015 Cathy Italian Restaurants, Markets & Grocers, What Cathy Eats!

Thank you for stopping by to read mmm-yoso!!!, a blog about food. The episode you are about to read takes you to Escondido, where Cathy has ventured. Kirk and Ed(from Yuma) are out and about enjoying more exotic places.

Heading back to the 15 freeway on Valley Parkway, there is a mall at the North East corner. Just behind the McDonald's, this signage looked familiar.

It turns out there is a Roma Market in Pasadena (mentioned in this post) which we've passed on our way from many Rose Parade float tests. This family market began in Boston after WWII, moved to Alhambra in the early 1950's then settled in Pasadena and has now (in late 2014) opened a second Southern California Roma Market in Escondido.Not a very large footprint, each small aisle is packed with items from Italy as well as locally sourced. Wines, fresh fruits and vegetables, trays of Italian cookies and fresh basil are at the entrance.There are a few different areas of dried and imported pastas as well as fresh and frozen -made in store- selections also. We've had the cheese manicotti and tortellini and they each were wonderful.Pasta sauces as well as canned and shelf stable tomatoes are sold on the shelves. If you look back to those freezer doors on the right side of the above photo, also made in house and fresh and frozen sauces are available. Again, excellent. There are a few other aisles of Italian staples and treats as well as closed door and open refrigerated sections. There's a deli selling Roma Market brand premium meats as well as imported meats and cheeses…and, as any good Italian Deli, Baccala. Notice the bread in the back; it's made here daily.Moving along, there's a section of hot foods, a small menu board…Desserts, beverages (there's also a Coca Cola Freestyle machine and an espresso/coffee area). Notice the small sign to the right, taped to the glass case. Then, of course, there's gelato.

Eat in the store we did. Here's a meal enjoyed last week.

Slice of cheese pizza ($1.95) (If you shop here on a Monday, after 3 p.m. and spend $10, you can get a whole cheese pizza for $1.99). Fresh dough, fresh sauce, plenty of mozzarella.Notice the 'hot foods' photo above. Two links of sweet or hot Italian sausage with peppers and onions $4.95. Yep. made here. Wonderful, fresh, you can see a fennel seed in the cross section above. The two pieces are enough for a meal. The Sandwich ($5.50) essentially a grab and go/no substitution deal. Mortadella, Mild Capicola, Soppressata (or some type of dry salami) and Provolone cheese. That's olive oil on the fresh bread/hoagie roll. The simplicity of three meats, cheese, olive oil and fresh bread is wonderful.There is a pretty large dessert selection as well as coffees available. We were offered a sample of the gelato, any flavor and the pear…had pieces of pear in it. The tiramisu and orange are also excellent. We'll be trying the other flavors soon.

I am so glad we stopped at Roma Market and will do so at the original location in Pasadena, soon.

Roma Market 1054 West Valley Parkway Escondido 92025 (760)233-8003 open 8-8 daily Website

Zion – Eating inside the market

May 15, 2015 Cathy Markets & Grocers, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso!!!, a blog about food in San Diego (and beyond). Today, Kirk is converging toward an objective, Ed (from Yuma) is advancing toward an intention and Cathy is here, with a focus toward the target of blogging.

A few weeks ago, it looked almost like today, but with only an expectation of rain. The Mister and I needed to do some grocery shopping and headed out to Zion Market, which has quite a few eateries inside the store as well as a Food Court area.The Produce area was quite crowded. We picked up items on our list, as well as whatever was on sale, then headed all the way to the back-toward the 'Kitchen' area, located along the East wall between the meat and seafood counters.The hot and room temperature counters had just been filled with freshly prepared items.The refrigerated, pickled item case was also freshly assembled.

We selected some items here, paid for all of our purchases then walked over to the Food Court area and grabbed a table.We managed to unwrap everything and take a photo before enjoying a nice lunch. (Chopsticks and napkins are given at the market cash registers.)

Clockwise from 11:00—Fish pancakes ($4.54), barley tea ($1.50), real crab California rolls ($3.25), kimchi steamed dumplings ($3.75) and a whole teriyaki grilled squid ($4.99).

Zion Market 7655 Clairemont Mesa Blvd San Diego, California 92111 open 7 days 9 to 9 website

Rome: Esquilino Market, Trastevere,and Ai Tre Scalini

May 8, 2015 mmm-yoso Italian Restaurants, Italy, Markets & Grocers, Pubs and Pub Grub, Rome, Travel

We had eaten well the night before and slept even better. The normal 5am wake up was missed and we slept in a bit.

Having your morning espresso is a good time to people watch. You gotta admit, some of these folks sure have their own…well…style. Like that guy to the right. Notice the matching outfits. Which got me to wondering…was he an accessory for the poodle, or was the poodle….well, you get the point, right?

Our first stop this morning was nearby; Esquilino Market. The area has quite an international flavor…there were quite a few Chinese businesses and we heard Mandarin being spoken from our window every evening.

There's quite a variety available.

It was a nice break.

From this point on, we past those familiar places.

From the Victor Emmanuel Monument we headed left and came upon the Teatro di Marcello, the Theatre of Marcellus. Completed in 13 B.C., it was the largest theatre in Ancient Rome.

I like how the place looked and later found out that the upper floors of the theatre have been converted to apartments. Pretty cool, huh? How'd you like to live in and above such an historic structure?

The Missus decided that we'd be visiting the district of Trastevere right across the Tiber River.

Trastevere and the lovely colors and lovely cobbled street turned out to be my favorite area in Rome.

I loved the lanes, the folks walking the alleyways. There seemed to be much more daily life going on here. Clothes hanging from windows, folks going on with their daily routines.

The place really has character and charm.

One turn, and suddenly we were in front of Santa Cecilia, dedicated to Saint Cecilia. The church is supposedly built upon the location of her house.

There are quite a few artifacts and artwork in the church. But it is far from being gaudy…the lines clean.

An interesting note about Saint Cecilia. She was martyred between 176 and 180 A.D. Her body was exhumed in 1599 and displayed no signs of decay! She is the first Saint whose body was found to be incorrupt.

Even though there were quite a tourists, you turn a corner and find a little alleyway that you'll have all to yourself.

There you come across little treasures like this little bakery. Which we later found out was named Biscottificio Innocenti, a very well known and regarded cookie/biscuit shop.

The Missus bought a couple and really enjoyed them.

Biscottificio Innocenti
Via della Luce 21
Rome, Italy

While headed to Piazza de Santa Maria, we came across this gelato shop.

The Hazelnut Gelato I had from here was my favorite of all the gelato I tried in Rome.

Fior di Luna
Via della Lungaretta 96
Rome, Italy

Of course having this refreshing gelato on the fountain steps of atmospheric Piazza di Santa Maria might have something to do with that opinion.

If Trastevere were a living organism, Piazza di Santa Maria would be its heart.

And the Basilica of Santa Maria, one of the oldest churches in Rome stands over the piazza.

I loved the artwork of Cavallini in the apse which dates back to 1291.

By now we were getting a bit hungry, so we decided to head on back.

As we headed back toward Termini Station, I noticed the beautiful Ivy hanging on over Via Panisperna in the Monti neighborhood. Taking a look to the right, I noticed the name of a place I'd read about; Ai Tre Scalini. What luck. We were getting pretty hungry.

Basically a wine/beer bar, the place was doing some major business.

Folks seemed to be having a great time and the staff here were very friendly and helpful.

We each had a glass of wine and started in on the menu.

Knowing that we'd be having the pretty rich and hearty Roman fare for dinner, we decided on getting some charcuterie and cheese. Starting with the Salsicce al Tartufo – truffle sausage.

Which was nicely scented with truffle.

We also got the Misto Salumi e Formaggi, a huge charcuterie and cheese plate.

A nice lovely lunch.

Ai Tre Scalini
Via Panisperna 251
Rome Italy

As we walked back to our room, I noticed I'd reached the point where I really started noticing things.

Soon enough, routines would start setting in. And we might even make an acquaintance or two…..

Yes, it was time for us to head out to our next stop. But not before dinner………

Malta: Marsaxlokk Market Day

May 1, 2015 mmm-yoso Malta, Maltese Food and Restaurants, Markets & Grocers, Travel

The main reason we decided on an over-night detour in Marsaxlokk was to check out the Sunday Market, known simply as the Marsaxlokk Market. The market was originally a Sunday fish market, but as tourists have found it over the years, it has expanded quite a bit.

We actually hit the place up when it first opened so there weren't as many tourists.

There's literally everything under the sun for sale here.

And there were quite a few folks hitting the place early to stock up on stuff.

Beyond all of this, the place is still a fish market at heart.

When the crowds started arriving, we decided to check out the side streets.

I've already posted on lunch, so I'll skip on over to the Missus getting some dessert.

And kind of just hung out watching the crowds like this little guy……

After which the time arrived for our afternoon nap.

After awakening, we decided to check some of the other side streets and found a little mini-mart. This is where I found Fizzee….I enjoyed this sugar free, almond drink, which was indeed quite "fizzy". It was quite refreshing. The Missus? Well, She still preferred Her Diet Kinnie.

I also came across some lovely looking Pastizzi. Even though I wasn't exactly thrilled the last time I had one. This was pretty good.

The pastry was flaky and rather light and the filling….the traditional mushy peas were actually nicely seasoned.

It turned out to be a pretty nice snack. Second time a charm I guess.

By this time, the market was closing down and Marsaxlokk was turning back into that idyllic fishing village.

It was time to find a bench and relax……

We found that Kinnie bottles are great for a game of fetch.

It was such a pretty afternoon.

And the lovely colors just heightened the experience. And those eyes……

We decided on something small for dinner. We knew it was time to head back to Valletta.

The next morning, we woke early and had a light breakfast. We found the bus stop back to Valletta was basically a half block away.

We had a busy day planned, so it was time to get a move on.

Thanks for reading!

Eating at my Desk: Nijiya, Tita’s Kitchenette, Nanay’s Best BBQ, Yum Cha Cafe, and Artisan Bento

April 16, 2015 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants, Filipino Restaurants, Japanese Restaurants, Markets & Grocers, yoso-silly

Things have been pretty busy the last year and a half or so. I've noticed that I eat more lunches at my desk than I ever did before. Yes, I know it's spposed to actually hurt productivity. But there are those things called conference calls, web meetings, and the ever looming and shifting deadline.

Most often, I'll run out and pick up something from Nijiya; probably at least once a week. So many of the lunches I have at my desk look like this.

I'm definitely not complaining about this one….it's comfort food.

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

"MG" is a good family friend; the Missus is one (I didn't know that folks can have as many as seven) of her son's Godmothers. We used to work in the same department and had some really fun potlucks. We're now in different departments, but she will sometimes drop by to make sure I'm getting fed. Like bringing me hamanado and tapa from Tita's for lunch. Good lord……how in the world was I able to finish this before?

For some reason, it seems time, at least in my mind, hasn't been good to Tita's…the grey color, the tough beef…though I still like the hamanado. In spite of it being on the tough side I like the mild sweetness and the salty tones.

Yes, it's pretty much about quantity….the love of abundance. It's enough for at least two meals.

Tita's Kitchenette
2720 East Plaza Boulevard
National City, CA 91950

One day she dropped off this:

I recognized it immediately…I asked if it was from Tem's and was told "no, it's from Nanay's". Which left me a bit confused, until I found out that Tem's is now Nanay's and apparently the food is basically the same. I will say I enjoyed the "spicy chicken" much more than the pork version I had when the place was Tem's. The "BBQ" chicken kind of reminds me of food court stuff, but it's not terrible….which the rice was, with quite a bit of hard grains in it.

Nanay's Best BBQ
6715 Mira Mesa Blvd
San Diego, CA 92121

Speaking of bad rice…….

**** Yum Cha Cafe has closed

Just because I have to eat at my desk doesn't mean I can't have stuff to post on. So on the way back from a meeting I stopped by Yum Cha Café. I hadn't been here in ages. I got the Hainan Chicken Rice….mostly because I must be a glutton for punishment. I mean, the place used to have passable cheap grub, but if this is any indication, they've really taken a dive. Dry tasteless chicken…the rice was hard and dry….ick.

Yum Cha Cafe
6933 Linda Vista Road
San Diego, CA 92111

And then there are the times I get to follow-up on a place I had been wondering about. In this case Artisan Bento. I got the Delux Bento…which clocks in at $13.95! I chose Ginger Pork, Shogayaki…which, being on the more salty side really reminds me of what my mom used to make.

**** Artisan Bento is no longer

I gotta say that these folks seem to have it down. From the time I ordered to leaving the place, less than 10 minutes!

I still enjoy the ohitashi. The kyuri (cucumber) was really bland. The miso soup seemed much more watered down. I usually cringe at the thought of multi-grain rice. But for some reason, I like the version at Artisan Bento….sheesh…what next? Macramé???

For dessert I chose the strawberry cheesecake which I proceeded to give away. I think I can do the regular bento next time.

Artisan Bento
2505 5th Ave
San Diego, CA 92103

One change from my previous post. They now open at 11….so no more walking in at 10 to find out they don't serve food until 11.

So, let me ask you…..do you eat at your desk? If so, what's your go to meal to have there? and what do you think about having to eat there?

Sunday Sandwiches – More Revisits: Embargo Grill and Bristol Farms

March 22, 2015 mmm-yoso Latin American Cuisine, Markets & Grocers, Sandwiches

**** Both Embargo Grill and Bristol Farms have closed

As I continue my sandwich revisits since my TMJ has calmed down.

Embargo Grill:

I'd been meaning to return since my first couple of visits over a year ago. I thought the food had promise and the concept was interesting.

The place looks basically the same; the prices have edged up a notch, though are still quite reasonable.

I went with the "Midnight Calorie Bomb" the Cubano/Medianoche ($6.75).

I previously thought this a decent sandwich. It has now risen to "good". I thought the weak link previously was the pulled pork, which was very dry and ice cold in my sandwich. That has been remedied. The pork was warm, nicely seasoned, perhaps on the edge of being too salty, and was adequately moist. The ham added even more of a sodium kick and the swiss cheese provided a nice milky level of flavor. The bread was quite nice, pressed, crisp, and yeasty. And while the sandwich doesn't look very big, it's quite filling and more than enough for me.

Man, if this place was in the Gaslamp and open when the clubs got out….they'd do a killing…..

Nice to see the place is doing well.

Embargo Grill
3960 W Point Loma Blvd
San Diego, CA 92110
Hours:
Mon-Thurs11am – 9pm
Fri-Sat 11am – 10pm
Sunday 11am – 9pm

Bristol Farms:

Yeah, I know, Cathy and I have done a number of posts on Bristol Farms. I'd mentioned the Tri-Tip Sandwich in a previous post. Several key things have to be in place for me to get the sandwich. There are a couple of folks, often from the deli area that I know make a good sandwich. One of the guys really takes his time, but whenever he makes my sandwich, it comes out like this:

Also, I check out the tri-tip, or the turkey to make sure it doesn't look old and tired. For the turkey sandwich; I go dark meat all the way. After having this through the years, I know how I like mine; toasted roll, horseradish sauce (on one side) in place of the BBQ sauce, grilled mushroom and onions, regular onions, tomato and lettuce. When it comes out well…..it's quite a sandwich.

Of course, one of the main reasons I was a Bristol Farms was to pick stuff up for a "light" dinner on the porch.

Bristol Farms
8510 Genessee Ave
San Diego, CA 92122

Antwerp Day 2: Chinatown, Antwerp Train Station, Stadsfeestzaal and the Chocolate Line

February 5, 2015 mmm-yoso Belgium, Chocolate, Desserts, French Restaurants, Markets & Grocers, Travel

Antwerp was proving to be quite interesting…..relaxed, laid back, even more so than Brussels. There were less tourists, it had more of a urban-local feel, even though we were staying close to the Grote Markt, there were businesses like a meat market, bakery, produce stands, that served the locals.

The Missus wanted to take a nice walk on our full day in Antwerp….to the train station, which I wanted to see anyway, then back. So we set off from Grote Markt, taking some of the back streets.

We stopped at places the interested us along the way, like the very Baroque looking St Charles Borromeo Church. The most popular local citizen, the famous Baroque Painter, Peter Paul Rubens, was raised in Antwerp and spent a good part of his career in Antwerpen. Even this Jesuit Church displays the influence of Rubens who supposedly designed the decorative façade. In fact, there were 39 ceiling paintings by Rubens that were destroyed in 1718 when the church was struck by lightning.

There are wisps of Rubens everywhere, even on this plate. From what I can find, Dr Lazarus Marcquis was on of the physicians who treated Rubens, who died of heart failure due in part to chronic gout.

We eventually found ourselves in front of the beautiful train station….but first, I was distracted by this.

I have a thing about Chinatown's, whether in Lima, SF, Portland, Toronto, Kobe, or even pseudo-Chinatown's like Brussels, I just can't help myself. So I just had to check it out.

And of course, I could not resist the temptation to check out the at least one Asian Market….just to see what was being sold. Markets like this one stocked everything from Sriracha to Datu Puti and Silver Swan. And some of the prices were no joke….sheesh.

We also checked out the various menus; here are a few in case you're interested.

Chinatown is barely a street or two in Antwerp, but it's all interesting to me.

We took a turn and walked back toward the train station. At one of the streets parallel to those of Chinatown I saw one of my favorite signs. Folks, don't even think about "wildplassen" here, ok?

The Antwerpen-Centraal railway station itself is probably the grandest, most impressive train station I've ever seen. Hard to believe that this structure, finished in 1905 was once considered for demolition.

A look inside and it's quite easy to see why they call this structure the "Railway Cathedral". The restoration job on the place was completed in 2007 at a cost of 2.7 billions dollars. The glass ceilings, intricate work, marble, and stone makes a truly impressive sight.

There's actually a level which links the place to the "Diamond District" and 30 diamond shops.

It's easily my favorite site in Antwerp. I've never seen anything quite like it. When looking at my photos I still stop at the one's we took at the train station…..

We walked down the Boulevard named De Keyserlei, arriving at a large street named Frankrijklei. This was where the city walls of Antwerp once stood. Across the way you could see the beginning of the "Meir", the major shopping street of Antwerp. Here you'll run into a statue of another of Antwerp's favorite son's, the Artist Anthony van Dyck, who was a favorite of England's Charles I.

You'll pass many….well, let's just say shops we know quite well on the Meir…… H&M, Forever 21…..H&M and Zara are everywhere in case you need something in a pinch.

But it's this ornate, but rather discreet portal that caught our attention. Through this passageway is Stadsfeestzaal, which is one heck of shopping mall…..let's just say it makes South Coast Plaza look like a trailer park…. Tons of gold inlay….there's actually a champagne bar! Yikes. I understand that this was originally built as an exhibition hall completed in 1906. It was destroyed by fire in 2000. Being a historic monument, it was rebuilt using the original plans and reopened in 2007. It is something to behold…..not sure about the shops in the place, the Missus wasn't moved; but with a grand staircase and such you can't help but admire the beauty of the place.

We our way through the place until the Missus became bored (I was already there) and walked back out into the sunshine of the Meir.

Back out on the street we quickly noticed a place whose name I recalled. Dominique Persoone is a Belgian Chocolatier, whose rather audacious approach to chocolate, along with his self coined handle as the "Shock-o-latier" has earned him quite a following and reputation. He owns The Chocolate Line with shops in Bruge and Antwerp.

You really couldn't help but be impressed with the upscale boutique look of the place….my goodness.

And when the Missus saw the play on upscale shoes….well we just had to take our time in the place.

And while it's easy enough for me to dismiss the rather seemingly kitschy chocolate lipstick and edible chocolate facepaint, along with his nomme de guerre. The chocolate "snort" made me stop and reassess.

And while some of the creations like the various chocolate sculptures and such, were obviously done to impress in the name of commerce.

A snort of chocolate, hmmmm…..what would that do to my already ravaged grey matter? Perhaps I'd change my name to Cadbury? Or perhaps start a campaign to save the "chocolate bunnies"? Who knows, as my train of thought was interrupted with the Missus telling me; "ok, I've got some chocolate, let's get going. Aaaand, I didn't buy any of those chocolate shoes…….can you imagine, shoes of chocolate, like feet and eat them, ick…." And so my Chocolate Gandhi moment was permanently interrupted.

We had bought some to add to the collection for my MIL and had a few that seemed interesting ourselves.

Interesting, but we enjoyed what we got from Pierre Marcolini and Yuzu in Ghent more…… But not being a "sweets person" who's to say, right?

A Shopping Day lunch at Bristol Farms

January 8, 2015 Cathy American/New American Restaurants, Markets & Grocers, What Cathy Eats!

Kirk, Ed(from Yuma) and Cathy are the usual writers here on mmm-yoso!!!, a food blog. Today, Cathy is writing.

The rush of a multitude of holidays with corresponding activities is winding down, with individuals cleaning up, rearranging and perhaps following some new patterns. Businesses are 'clearing out' holiday-centric food and decorating items. The Mister and I have been out and about, looking for some bargains, and, as always, manage to squeeze a meal into the midst of the shopping. Yes, both Kirk and I have written a few posts about Bristol Farms, an upscale market (the parent company is Albertsons) located in La Jolla.There is both a self serve area (salad bar, soup, hot foods) where you can select, package and then pay for your items and find a seat here in the Bristol Cafe (or just outside), or you can walk up and order items 'to go' or you can seat yourself and a friendly waiter/waitress will bring you a menu and you'll have table service. This Wednesday, the special was a cup of any Soup and Sandwich of the day for $7.49. The Mister chose the carrot ginger soup- which was fascinating in its complimentary flavors and excellent.The 'sandwich of the day' was a "Malibu Melt"…and the description made us simultaneously fearful and curious. Toasted sourdough, the top with soft grilled red onion, Monterey Jack cheese, tuna salad…on top of grilled honey ham and a basil aioli spread. Yeah, we ordered it, ate it and liked it (except for the onion; a bit too many flavors there and it was removed after a bite). The tuna salad alone was excellent, as was the grilled honey ham. No idea who concocted this in their brain, but it works.Playing it safe, I ordered the quiche of the day with a salad ($8.49). The simple salad was accompanied by the most wonderful Thousand Island dressing. The quiche (which you can purchase unbaked in the store) had melange of (at least three types) of roasted mushrooms and spinach baked into a wonderfully flavored custard which was all baked in a crispy, flaky shell.

Yet another day of trying something new, and it worked.

Bristol Farms 8510 Genessee Avenue San Diego 92122 (858) 558-4180 Website

Happy New Year!

January 1, 2015 mmm-yoso Cooking, Markets & Grocers, yoso-silly

I hope 2014 was a great year for you all. And we send our best wishes for a great 2015 as well.

I worked a bit early on NYE, then headed off to complete was has become a tradition for me. On every New Year's Eve since 2005, I go to the various Japanese markets to check out the Osechi offerings.

Things have changed over the years, it's more of a pre-order kind of thing nowadays and there aren't too many extravagant items for sale on NYE anymore.

In fact, Marukai had almost nothing.

Mitsuwa had some interesting items, but nothing too interesting.

What I really did enjoy about my visit to Mitsuwa was a young couple, the girl, Japanese, the young man, blue-eyed, blond haired. The young lady went down the shelves explaining the significance of each of the osechi ryori items….stuff that I didn't even know! I just stood there and watched, quite taken with the moment…. At the end, she turned to me and gave me a smile and a wave. Nice job!

As usual, Nijiya had the biggest and best selection…….

It has been quite a year for us; Belgium, the Czech Republic, Japan, Seattle……. I have a feeling the this year will be just as interesting.

We'd like to thank you for reading, commenting, and just being part of our little food blog!

Happy New Year!

Lines, lines, everywhere lines…..

December 23, 2014 mmm-yoso Markets & Grocers, Sushi and Sashimi, yoso-silly

Just for fun, I actually drove by Costco this past weekend. Here's what it looked like at 10 past nine, a full 20 minutes before they opened.

Sheesh……

I was actually dragging my feet, because I had to go into work.

I worked for a couple of hours then decided I should get some ramen, so I headed off to Santouka and ran into this…..

Yikes.

So, I just went to Nijiya, picked this up, and headed back to the office.

I lucked out as I love natto maki….yes, while I'd never buy any prepared sushi or sashimi with raw fish in/on it kappa and natto maki is fair game. I grew up eating natto so I really love this stuff. I usually get a bento at least once a week and have rarely seen this. They probably don't make it very often…….it could very well be that I'm the only person who evers buys this…….

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

Hope you're surviving the holiday madness!