Markets & Grocers – Page 20

Kyoto Day 1: A quick trip to Fushimi Inari, Tōfuku-ji, Nishiki Market, dinner from Daimaru Resutoran-gai, and a stop at Beer Komachi

November 28, 2014 mmm-yoso Beer, Japan, Kyoto, Markets & Grocers, Pubs and Pub Grub, Travel

One of the great things about train stations in Japan is the abundance of storage lockers. For about five bucks US, you get a good sized locker for the whole day. Since we left Tokyo quite early in the morning we arrived way before check in time at the residence where we were staying. We managed to stow our bags….we travel light, I have a Tri-Star and the Missus an Aeronaut 30, which She loves. How the Missus ended up agreeing with me about Her Aeronaut is a story for another day. Anyway, these two bags are European carry-on size and we can easily travel for a month (or more) with what we pack in these bags……mine weighed out at 9 kilos for this trip.

For some reason, we found Kyoto Station to be bit confusing….Tokyo Station was a slam dunk; but Kyoto Station just seemed like a maze at first. After finding the gates to the JR Nara line, which wasn't that hard, we got on the train…..which ended up being the Express, which bypasses the Inari Station! We actually didn't feel too bad, since there were at least a dozen people (all Japanese) who did the same thing. We got off at the first express stop after Inari Station and headed back…with the other folks who took the wrong train and made it to Fushimi-Inari.

Our first impressions of Fushimi Inari-Taisha? It was so strikingly beautiful…….and so crowded!

And while we could enjoy the vibrancy and character to the shrine; the packed crowds, the noise (remember we had spent a couple of days in Tokyo, so it's all relative), and the lines to walk through the colorful torii (gates), were just a bit too much for us. I told the Missus that the shrine opens at dawn…..if we woke early enough, we could get here at dawn, and really enjoy the place…..so we decided to return the next morning. We'd bundle Fushimi Inari and Kiyomizu-dera for the next morning.

Having read enough about our travel, I'm sure you realize that the Missus was not going to stop and proceed to sit on Her hands. She decided we should walk up the street…… It was an interesting walk as the shops gave way to temples, several of which we walked through…..ending up at the impressive gate of Tōfuku-ji.

This massive Sanmon is the oldest in Japan and is considered a national treasure.

The Dragon painting on the ceiling in the Hondou (Main Hall) is by famous Kyoto-born artist Insho Domoto.

The temple is known for the stone and moss gardens and the Tsuutenkyo Bridge.

I can just imagine what this view would be like during autumn when all the leaves turn color!

There are many temples and shrines in the area…..

So we just meandered around…….

We ended up at Shorinji Temple…..

It was nearing noon and our check in time, so we headed down the hill to Tokufuji Station, back to Kyoto Station, where we got confused again….this time trying to remember where our locker was. Once located we headed off to our destination. A Machiya in the Southern Higashiyama area.

First off, the owner wasn't kidding when she said it was one minute from Higashiyama Station….it was literally one minute! Located in a shopping arcade – Furukawacho shopping arcade, this is among the top ten places we've ever stayed….it was huge; two floors, a large kitchen, an awesome bath….of course the sleeping arrangement was traditional Japanese.

Masae was fantastic, so organized, she even had a map of the area around the arcade, with restaurants and shops listed. There was a typhoon, Vongfong headed our way….she kept us appraised via emails. She made our stay wonderful.

Meanwhile, we had asked Reiko about things we should buy in Kyoto. While on the way to the Machiya, Reiko mentioned getting a Furoshiki. And Masae knew just the spot. A few blocks away was Kakefuda. The Missus was taken with the various patterns. The young man here did a demo….a couple of times, showing the Missus how to do some of the basic tying methods. Somehow, no matter how many times She's practiced….it just doesn't look quite right. That's alright though……the Missus got something for herself from Kyoto.

We then headed West, over the Kamo River, finding Nishiki Market. Man, this placed was packed. It was wall to wall people. My first instinct was to bail….but the Missus was hungry and getting a bit grumpy, so we decided to hunt for some "snacks", starting out with an ok Takoyaki….kind of too soggy for my taste. It was just meh……very dull…so I'm thinking a black and white photo describes it best.

We came across a stand selling Hamoyaki; grilled conger eel brushed with a tare. They had a little standing table and we really wanted a respite from the masses. This was actually pretty good. Hamo is very mild in flavor, so it's basically a palette for the tare. We really enjoyed the light texture of the eel.

We made our way further down the market and something caught the Missus' eye.

This place made yakimanju and yakimochi….grilled rice cakes. We tried a yakimanju….

I have to say….I love the fragrance of these….but as a whole, I'm not a fan of yakimochi and this was basically the same thing.

Nothing amazing, but enough to keep us going……we spent the rest of the afternoon shopping around Shijo-dori. When it was time to head back, I asked the Missus what She watned to do for dinner. We'd had a long day; I awoke at 330am and actually did a post. We'd need to wake by at least 5am tomorrow and we were bushed. So, Daimaru's resutoran-gai ("restaurant town") just made sense, especially since the Missus was craving salad, which is rather hard to come by.

This stuff ain't cheap, but the variety is staggering…..as I mentioned previously; large department stores have an entire floor full of food stands and vendors. It's easy to get lost in all of this.

Dinner in hand, we made our way back to the house. Not directly of course……

This thin, alley-like street is named Ponto-chō, it is one of the Hanamachi, Geisha districts in Kyoto. The street runs parallel to the Kamo River and is full of restaurants, bars, and, after being absolutely shocked to see a Geisha walking down the street, Geisha houses I guess?

The wooden buildings and hanging lanterns sure adds to the atmosphere…….

Having come from Shijuku and seeing the Robot Restaurant, then Shibuya and the goth-Hello Kitty chicks, to this in less than three days is something to wrap your head around.

Crossing over to the other side of the Kamo River, we made our way back to where we were staying.

We followed the Shirakawa Canal, into the Gion, another Hanamachi district, and the street folks told me was the most beautiful in all of Japan.

I can see why…….

The sound of the water; the wooden buildings, the trees…..take a photo and ask someone where this is and they'll say, "well, Japan of course….."

Getting back to the machiya, the Missus decided a nice long soak in the wonderful tub was on the agenda. I went upstairs to the sitting area.

I had some tea while watching the folks pass through the marketplace below. There's a meat market and a small convenience type store right across the walkway from the house.

Dinner was a a simple affair……but perfect as we were pretty tired.

As you can see, the Missus got Her "salad fix".

Here's the rather unique Furoshiki the Missus chose. She said it would always remind Her of Kakefuda.

After dinner, we took a walk up Sanjo-dori and some of the side streets in the Gion…packed with bars and Izakayas. There was a Family Mart and a Grocery Store right around the corner from where we were staying as well.

Life is full of happy coincidences. When we arrived, Masae told us that she had just opened a craft beer bar in the same arcade, a few yeards from where we were staying. Really? A craft beer bar? Awesome!

We headed over for a nightcap. The tiny spot was busy, but they found us a small table. Looking at the beer list, I had to crack up; Stone, Lagunitas, Pizza Port, Saint Archer…. you gotta love it!

Of course there was a selection of Japanese craft brews as well. The Missus likes Her sours, so She went with the Morita Kinshachi Fruits Draft Lemon.

I mentioned that we were from San Diego and had recently visited Belgium to Masae….who apparently loves her beer. we had a nice conversation about San Diego breweries, along with a promise that if she visits San Diego, the beer is on us!

I had the Kure Beer Belgian IPA, which was interesting. Less hoppy than an IPA and not veyr boozy; this was on the sweet side and not unpleasant.

Man, it had been quite a long day; from Tokyo and a view of Mount Fuji, to temples, then shopping, and finally a nice quiet self catered dinner, followed by a visit to a craft beer bar……

So this was Kyoto, huh? Though we were dead tired, we were having fun.

Thanks for reading!

Tokyo Day 2: A visit to Meiji-jingu, Shibuya crossing, Hachikō, and you’ll find the good stuff in the basement

November 7, 2014 mmm-yoso Japan, Markets & Grocers, Tokyo, Kamakura, and the Kantō Region, Travel

*** Not much food in this one, so I wouldn't blame you if you just decided to come back tomorrow!

On our second full day in Tokyo, both the Missus and I awoke feeling….well, great! I'm sure you would too if you'd had the great meals we'd had the previous day. After doing some laundry the night before, the Missus hatched Her plan for the next morning. And so we started off from our apartment in Yotsuya Sanchome, heading South, then supposedly West….I say supposedly, because we took a wrong turn. Upon hitting Minamimotomachi Park, we realized we were headed in the wrong direction and turned around. From there it was a pretty straight line to our destination, Meiji-jingu.

This Shinto shrine, dedicated to Emperor Meiji and the Empress Shōken is 175 acres of peace and tranquility in busy Shibuya.

And while Tokyo itself is fairly quiet for a city of its size…..you can escape much of the "white noise" here. All you hear is the crunching of gravel as you walk down the paths.

Emperor Meiji presided over the Meiji Restoration, which consolidated power under the rule of emperor. This period marked the modernization of Japan as it formed various alliances and opened its doors to the west.

The gate to the main shrine complex is the largest wooden "tori" (gate) of this style in the world and was built from 1500 year old Japanese Cypress trees from Taiwan.

The grounds give an impression of an old and ancient forested area, but the trees were actually planted during the shrine's construction in the 1920's.

The main shrine complex, at least when we visited, during a weekday morning was so peaceful and relaxing…..

It's a great place to contemplate the day and life in general……which was kind of broken up by the two dudes in suits from you know where shouting at each other trying to get the best shots. You can see them, in a rather Picasso like fashion if you click on the panoramic shot above to enlarge.

As it stands, one of our favorite spots during our time in Tokyo.

Before leaving, we saw some folks taking wedding photos……I read that this is a popular location for traditional style photos.

How cute….

Leaving the area, we headed down toward Shibuya…land of the well…..kind of a "hipster-slacker, punk-goth-Hello Kitty, oh my goodness what is that"….well, let's just say, there's a lot of young people around expressing themselves in the way they dress!

As we walked down the street, I saw "a sign"……well perhaps not divine in origin, it was still a hallowed sign from years ago….my goodness Tower Records! I asked the Missus if we could check the place out….She understands that very few non-food things really get me excited, so this must mean something. Unfortunately, they weren't open, but the Missus decided that we should grab a cup of coffee.

A few minutes before the place was scheduled to open we walked over. There was a fairly young, balding, guy who kept twitching, ants in his pants, almost jogging in place, raring to go at the door. As soon as the doors opened he sprinted up the escalators. Curious, we followed. What was going on here…some new release, tickets to some concert? Well, no….we found the dude in the aisles of the Jazz section? Huh? Pretty goofy…..I actually do a pretty good impression of the guy for the Missus once in a while….the Jazz section….

Actually, I love Jazz and took some time to look around, Kenny Burrell, Jim Hall, the Brecker Brothers! However, I just wanted one thing….I've been trying to get ahold of the "local music" of my hanabata days. I knew from previous experience that a lot of releases, especially the one I was looking for are still available in Japan….and guess what? I found what I wanted.

We made our way down to Shibuya Crossing, considered to be the busiest crosswalk in the world…while not too busy at this time of the day, we just had to cross…..to get to the other side of the road of course.

Here's what it looks like from Shibuya Station.

You should see some of those Youtube videos of the crossing, like this one.

Man, this placed was packed with shops…..just about everything catered to young people. We walked over to Shibuya 109, the young and trendy fashion shopping mecca for young people…and boy am I old! I couldn't believe how short some of those skirts were….sheesh. The Missus was also not having a good time so I asked Her where She wanted to go? "Ginza……" So off we went on the Ginza line. It was getting pretty close to lunch….even after yesterday's meals, the Missus was craving one thing…..salad. I had an idea….but before we headed off for Ginza, there was one thing I had to see. You can read the story about Hachikō here. I just needed to come here and take a photo……it's all I really wanted to do in Shibuya.

And so we got on the Ginza line….getting off at the stop where Mitsukoshi Nihonbashi, the flagship store of the chain is located.

So here's the deal…in the lower floors of any major department store, like Daimaru or Mitsukoshi….you'll even find department stores in every major train station, there will be ton of vendors and stands.

There's quite an assortment of western and traditional dishes available, usually priced by weight or by piece.

It's not cheap….especially the roasted sweet potato the Missus got…..630 yen!

Still, we ended up having a light meal….. There are no places to eat in the basement, but if you ask, you'll be advised to head up to the 9th floor…..where the restaurant, cafe, and gardens are.

There you'll find folks eating, whether they bought their food at Mitsukoshi or not….the couple next to us was really cute….they ate exactly the same items at exactly the same time.

We ordered just a few things….that smoked duck was really awesome. Like I said, the Missus was missing salad….

Notice the portion sizes? I came to appreciate the portion sizes….you got the fried stuff, they ate ramen with rice, no denying the love of sweets…..but they were all thin….because they walked and used public transportation. Oh, that's the Missus's roasted potato to the right….She felt so bad about the price that She made it last three meals!

Funny…..

And for folks old enough…remember when we had the Mitsukoshi Building in Waikiki? 2155 Kalakaua? They had an entire floor of video games……Galaxian!

Thanks for reading!

Midweek Meanderings: The Original Sab E Lee – Linda Vista is moving and Marukai has new hours

November 5, 2014 mmm-yoso Markets & Grocers, Thai Restaurants

A couple of things to break up the week…..

The Original Sab E Lee moving into the (former) Bale location:

Funny thing. This past weekend I wanted something with a little "zip", so in spite of some not so great meals in the last year or so, since I needed to grab something from Thuan Phat, I decided to get some take-out from what was once our favorite take-out spot, the Original Sab E Lee. Over the last couple of years, there seems to be a rotation of young people running the front of house….on this day, the young lady was, well, kind of rude….. But taking a peek back at the kitchen, I saw one of the "old crew" who had moved over to Rancho Penasquitos location cooking in the back. Needless to say, it was a very nice meal….though I found that my tolerance for heat….I used to be a level 10 kind of guy, has gone down. A "7" on this day was kicking my butt. Still, this was the best stuff I've had from here in a while….especially the salted fish fried rice!

Anyway, I also noticed that Bale had closed down….well, they lasted two years…..

Yesterday, I was on my way to a meeting and I decided to drive by and take a photo for a post……and my goodness what a surprise!

Way back in 2008, Kobey told me they had looked at this spot, but thought it was too expensive. I'm glad they're pulling the trigger now. The spot really hasn't done well since Le's closed, in 2009 it became LV Sandwiches, in 2010 Toan Ky, Bale opened in 2012, now in 2014 it's going to be the TOSEL…more tables, more parking, I hope the staff and the kitchen can keep up.

The Original Sab E Lee
2405 Ulric St
San Diego, CA 92111

moving to

6925 Linda Vista Road
San Diego, CA 92111

Marukai has new hours:

This past weekend, the Missus went back to work. She requested Sukiyaki, so I decided to drop by Marukai. I got there a bit earlier than the usual (former) opening time of 930 and noticed folks were already exiting the market.

That's when I noticed the new hours.

I also did pretty well in the meat department.

I'm glad to have the new hours….9 or 930 is kinda late to get started shopping for me on weekends.

Marukai Market
8151 Balboa Ave
San Diego, CA 92111

Hope you're having a great week!

Tokyo Day 1: A walk around the neighborhood, Tsukiji Market, and Tenfusa

October 25, 2014 mmm-yoso Japan, Japanese Restaurants, Markets & Grocers, Seafood, Tokyo, Kamakura, and the Kantō Region, Travel

On our first day, I made the decision NOT to get up at 330am and catch a cab, get in line, and take a chance at checking out the tuna auction at Tsukiji Market…. a 20 minute cattle call. Heresy, I know. It's not that we don't wake up early; heck I wake up at 5am during the week, jet lag always wakes us early on our trips as well. Remember us walking around Hanoi at 430am? If you're a regular reader, you do know I love visiting markets when travelling. It's amazing what you might learn and see. I've even been to various fish auctions, in both Hilo and Oahu, and heck even in Djerba, Tunisia. Instead, we decided to take a walk around the neighborhood, then stroll to Yotsuya Station and heading off to Tsukiji at around 630.

The narrow side streets bore little resemblance to the busy main artery a few blocks away.

We were told that the Yotsuya area was historically a Samurai and Ninja District:

"Honshio-cho & Sakamachi are located in front of the ministry of defense,between Yotsuya, Ichigaya and Akebonboashi station.

There were two big Ninja group.Iga school and Koga.The top of Iga was Hanzo Hattori, his name is still kept at the gate of the Emperor's palace and as the name subway line. Koga Ninha residence was located in Honshio-cho and the entire district was a fortress, isolated from other area."

Indeed, the gravesite of Hattori Hanzo is located somewhere nearby at Sainen-ji temple. And no, it's not this Hattori Hanzo. The story of the REAL Hattori Hanzo is much more fascinating. Unfortunately, there are a ton of temples in the area, so we never found Sainen-ji Temple, which, in addition to having Hattori Hanzo's gravesite, also has Hattori Hanzo's spear. Next time….

Yotsuya is also prominently mentioned in the famous ghost story Yotsuya Kaidan. Like Hattori Hanzo's reappearance in Kill Bill, there's a connection between what is called the most famous "obake story" of all time and a modern retelling of it.

Like many neighborhoods in Japan, I'm sure there are a thousand stories for every block of real estate.

We managed to only visit a few places, really not knowing the significance of them. Hopefully, one day, we'll be able to visit again and get an understanding of the history of the area.

As it is, we ended up back on the main street and walked on over to Yotsuya Station and arrived at the Tsukiji-shijo Station at 645. From there it was a slam dunk finding the market…..just follow the dude in waders carrying wicker baskets….

Namiyoke Dori Street is the main street for the market. It is also probably the easiest way to find the entrance to the outer market, which is basically the retail area for Tsukiji. In some ways, I found what was here more interesting, though the Inner Market is more fascinating . This area opens at 5am, whereas the Inner Market is not open to the public until 9am.

Anyway, here are some photos. I tried to do things quickly….there's nothing more irritating than some butthead stopping in the middle of the street blocking folks trying to actually do some business, setting up his gear…. "ooooh, it's wasabi!"

I really loved all the pickled vegetables…tsukemono and the like….

There's a huge section of just tamago…..

I think you get the point, right???

Whew….need a break? Head on back to Namiyoke Dori. There's an area with vending machines right next to the info center….which doesn't open until 8am BTW. Still, you can grab a seat, next to bunch of other folks, many of them looking like vendors from the market taking a break and grab something refreshing.

And take in the street scene.

Right at the end of Namiyoke Street, right before you turn into the main market area is Namiyoke Inari Shrine. People believe that this shrine guards and protects the market. When it was built during the Edo Period it was at the water's edge. As it is; the shrine is functional. We saw several workmen come by while visiting…..

The Missus really loved this shrine. Mainly for one rather charming (in my opinion) reason. To the right, of the entrance lies a few shrines and monuments. One of them, picuted to the right is the "Tamago-zuka"…. that's right, the monument to the egg, probably the Missus' favorite food item. This is part of the "sushi-zuka" monuments to sushi residing on shrine grounds.

The one to the far right in the photo below is the monument to shrimp! You gotta love it! We loved this little shrine…..

It was now about 830…still a bit too early for the wholesale market which opens to the public at 9am. Perhaps it was time for some breakfast. Time to queue up with all the other toursts at one of the sushi places in the market, right? Not so fast Kemosabe. First, the last thing I wanted was a rushed tourist class sushi meal, elbow to elbow with a bunch of other toursts. Second, I had reservations at a sushi place for lunch. Tenfusa, a small, 2 table and four bar seat tempura place sounded just right.

We walked in, away from the chaos and lines at Sushi Dai and Daiwa on the same alley, to a quiet little oasis. THe guys eating at the counter seemed like regulars; they all knew the woman running the front of house. This was my kind of place.

The Missus still had Her heart set on having some fish at Tsukiji; so we ordered the maguro sashimi, which wasn't the highest grade of fish; but super fresh, and a bargain at 500 yen ($5).

I ordered the Tendon (1100 yen – $11), a very generous portion of rice (does anything other than a generous bowl of rice exist in Japan). Man, this was tasty….the green bean was great. The shrimp had that pure shrimp flavor I recalled having as a child. The Missus prefers "American tempura" the hard, laquered version….. The fish was sweet, I attempted to ask what it was and was told "megochi" – flathead, something I don't think I've ever had.

A very nice breakfast.

Tenfusa
Uogashi Yokocho Building #6
Tsukiji Market 5-2-1

After breakfast we headed first to the Vegetable and Fruit Wholesale Market, then the Seafood Wholesale Market; dodging the turret trucks and scooters…..

There's a kind of intensity to the Wholesale Seafood Market; after all it is one of the largest wholesale seafood markets in the world and probably the best known.

Everything you've read or heard about Tsukiji….well, it's probably true. If it swims in the sea you'll probably find it here.

Honestly, I should have taken a ton more photos, but I was so mesmerized by what I saw. Plus, I really didn't want to be one of the many who just stuck their cameras everywhere.

Tsukiji is amazing, just as everyone says……

Thanks for reading!

Big Ben Specialty Market- and Grill House at Big Ben (National City)(underrated)

October 14, 2014 Cathy American/New American Restaurants, Markets & Grocers, What Cathy Eats!

Here we are, at mmm-yoso!!! a food blog. Kirk is in the midst of a typhoon, Ed (from Yuma) is in the midst of a heat wave (or maybe because it's in the 90's and Yuma, it's a cooling wave…) and Cathy is anticipating a dry heat after morning fog.

Back in March, I read this post on cc's blog and made a mental note to stop at Big Ben Specialty Market. It looked interesting and I knew exactly where it was located, based on her first photo. Fast Forward to October… ***We should have stopped here sooner***You might notice 8th Street in National City is in the midst of some reconstruction to keep traffic and parking to a more 'Town Center' level, instead of thoroughfare you just speed through. Small islands and angled parking force you to slow down and notice things.There is a parking lot directly behind Big Ben Market, this is the view on the cross street, "A" Avenue…that's open air/outdoor seating for the in store restaurant, The Grill House at Big Ben. We had to.Neat and clean with modern decor (tables made of reclaimed wood from the fire ravaged 65 year old Market which once stood here). Order, grab a beverage and condiments and have a seat; your food will be brought out. (A nice touch- when we ordered, we were given a coupon to use in the market -good on that day only- for 10% off our entire purchase: yet another reason to eat before shopping). Menu items include plates, burgers, skillets, sandwiches and salads made with various fresh spice/vegetable flavors of Asian, Mexican, Mediterranean and American (including BBQ). The Mister ordered the 1/2 lb Tri Tip Plate ($9.95) which came with two sides. He chose the Parmesan Kale salad and sweet potato fries. Everything on this plate was quality: the Tri Tip was moist, tender, had great flavor on its own (before any of the not-too-sweet, house made sauce): the sweet potato fries, skin on, were freshly fried to a nice crispiness yet soft enough to enjoy the flavor; the Parmesan Kale salad was fresh, crisp, flavorful and addictive (it's sold in the store and we bought some for home).The Mediterranean salad ($4.95) with added grilled chicken ($2), served in the deceptive if-photographed-from-the-top-only bowl. Crispy lettuce with more ingredients including not only fresh, but also sun dried tomatoes as well as a creamy, light Feta, onions and cucumbers. The warm grilled chicken and a light balsamic dressing was just right.

Fresh made items, hormone free meats, whole grains, local produce, served on reclaimed wood tables. This would be considered a prime meeting place and shopping market if it were located in a different Zip Code. The quality is noteworthy. Walking into the store, the kitchen and to go area with steam tables, cold sides and same menu as is served outside (see the pass through window third photo above?). Straight ahead, you'll see the meat counter, but just before that -on your left- is a salsa and cheese deli and grab and go meals (I'm assuming leftovers from the kitchen) with great prices ($2-$3 for a good sized meal). Poultry, meat and seafood counter has great prices even if not on sale. Organic, grass fed beef is available here. Gourmet and regular condiments can be found, as well as some fancier/imported candies. There is also a fairly extensive liquor and beer area.Not only are there a good selection of fruits and vegetables, a good portion are organic. There are also freshly made tortillas in the store, both standard and organic.

There are weekly in store as well as daily restaurant specials mentioned on the weekly flyer (available at the door). The Grill House specials include a meal with one side for $4.95 from 2-9:30 daily, $2 off any sandwich on weekends, and Buy 2 get 2 meals free on the weekend (dine in only).

Again, if this were located elsewhere in the county, you would have read about it, seen it was the place to go and would have already enjoyed the quality. We had been missing out, but now will be regular shoppers (and a place for meals).

Big Ben Specialty Market 108 East 8th street National City CA 91950 (619)477-1015 7 am-9:30 pm daily Website

Tip Top Meats- German Grocery, German Restaurant (revisit)

October 1, 2014 Cathy German Restaurants and Food, Markets & Grocers, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso!!! is a food blog. Kirk, Ed(from Yuma) and Cathy write about food they ate and the circumstances surrounding the meal(s). Today, Cathy is writing.

The Mister and I had Friday birthdays this year and for our eight days of celebrating tried to choose restaurants that were (ideally) as old or older than us; it seems this is almost impossible given our age, but Connal's came close. This is another birthday week meal. (My other posts about Tip Top were also birthday meals, plus Vicky wrote a post about Tip Top in 2007).

Tip Top Meats opened in 1967, in Glendale, as a meat store with a small restaurant inside (as many ethnic grocery stores still have within their doors). The owner, "Big John" Haedrich, a Master Craftsman Butcher and Sausage maker, finally moved to Carlsbad in 1977, keeping the same business model. Walk in and to the left among the grocery aisles. There's a menu above (and more menu on the other side of that ceiling closer to the cash register). You order and pay before retrieving your own beverages and finding a table. Your food is brought out to you. We sat across from the cash register, around the corner of the seating area; there has been some remodeling and there is covered outdoor seating as well. This is a sausage sandwich($8.99). I had a choice of Polish, bratwurst or knackwurst and, of course, chose smoked Polish sausage. It came with a roll, but I asked for rye bread. I was asked if lettuce, tomato and mayonnaise was OK and said 'yes' and those were placed onto the bread for me…the side of German potato salad was excellent (I could have had fries…but why). Here's a close up of the spices and flavorings in the smoked sausage. It is excellent. The Mister ordered a "Steak -N-Stein". There is a choice of a 14-16 oz sirloin, 8-10 oz filet mignon or 12-14 oz New York steak, along with a choice of soup or salad (this is oxtail soup, which tasted like a wonderful gravy) and choice of frosty tap beer (He chose Tangerine Wheat).The Mister chose the sirloin, cooked medium rare. This also comes with a choice of potato, vegetable or kraut or red cabbage (you can see he chose half kraut, half red cabbage) and a roll. I think this was more than 16 ounces. It was wonderful, worth the price ($12.98). (The filet mignon or New York Steak are $14.98)
After our hearty meal, we perused the grocery and meat cases, choosing future meals, snacks and condiments.
The headcheese selection is amazing. The butcher meat case, smoked meat selection as well as frozen meat items made choices almost overwhelming. There were also beers, wines, aisles of candies and fresh pastries near the door which also tempted us. A great day in North County.

Tip Top Meats 6118 Paseo Norte Carlsbad, CA 92011 (760)438-2620 Open seven days 6 am-8 pm Website

Midweek Meanderings

September 17, 2014 mmm-yoso Markets & Grocers, Mediterranean Restaurants, Poke

Just a couple of quick things to get us over "Hump day".

Poke at Costco Mission Valley:

I've seen them in Costco's back home in Hawaii, but never in San Diego, until a recent visit to Costco in Mission Valley. Of course, other than gas, I really don't get to Costco that often. It just so happened that I needed enough toilet paper to last until the next millennium.

It looked to be part of the Seafood Fair. Did I buy any? Well, no….heck I don't even buy the stuff they sell in Costco in Hawaii. I did ask the guy if the fish was "gassed", that is, treated with carbon monoxide. They guy looked at me strangely and shrugged his shoulders….whatever that means.

Anyway, I guess Costco now has poke…..

Some new stuff at Nijiya:

I've noticed some interesting new stuff at Nijiya over the last year or so. First, they started selling their bentos with brown rice. I guess the "brown rice revolution" that I first noticed on one of my trips home to Hawaii, now has a foothold. Heck, even Okan offers brown rice as an option with lunch. Then I noticed Shio Koji chicken. And then it was….drum roll please……

And while you'll never catch me eating this stuff….though I've been known to have brown rice on occasion to please the Missus (don't get the Brown Rice Shio Koji Chicken…it's a double whammy), I thought it kind of neat that Nijiya is really working on keeping up with things.

I also noticed Chicken Karaage being sold with various sauces. I do enjoy chicken nanban – basically chicken seasoned with vinegar and, yep tartar sauce, though I try to get the sauce on the side when I remember to. A little goes a long way. I thought a sauce made with kurosu, a brownish vinegar made from unpolished rice might be really good on karaage. I was wrong; the sauce had been thickened too much, it was too sweet, without enough sour tones. Not my thing.

Still, it's quite interesting to visit and see new things, which seem to quite often….I usually grab a bento or something for lunch here about every other week.

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

Can you guess the restaurant?

Had dinner with some good friends a while back….not my kind of place, though the portions were huge….. Much of it was dry, overcooked, tough, and seemed like it had been lying around for a while. I hadn't been here in ages and now I remembered why.

Enough to feed an army though…. Can you guess where?

Brno: The Cabbage Market, Spilberk Castle, and Sklizeno Foodie Market

September 13, 2014 mmm-yoso Czech Republic, Markets & Grocers, Travel

The Missus seemed a bit pooped on our first morning in Brno, so I decided to let Her sleep in a bit and took a walk around the neighborhood.

There were quite a few apartments in the area we were staying. A street parallel to ours seemed to be one of the main avenues in the area; with quite a bit of bus and tram traffic. There were a good number of little shops on the street, several bakeries, convenience stores, a burger place, and the little shop with the humorous name to the right….at least you can't accuse them of false advertising, can you?

I got a couple cups of coffee and a pastry for the Missus…no, not from Junk Food Cafe…..

Bolstered by caffeine, we soon headed off, back up the street named Husova. While walking up the hill, something caught my attention…..

I pointed out this mannequin seated on a chimney which looked like a commode.

We walked off to one of the side streets to take a better photo of…well, what was it, an art piece? A political statement? Or perhaps yet another example of the quirky, sometimes odd, but totally funny Czech sense of humor?

Before getting to the main intersection which heads up to Cathedral of St Peter and Paul, we headed up some steps on the side of the road and ended up in a nice little park. We came to find out the name of the park is Denisovy Sady – Denis Park.

The park is situated on part of what was the city walls and was built between 1814 and 1818….which is pretty significant. There's is a obelisk in the park which was built in 1818 to commemorate Naploleon's defeat. You can read more about the park and the French occupation of Brno here.

There were some nice views from the park; this one is facing the area where our apartment was located. Though, I'm not sure what it looked like from above.

A street or two above the park is the Cathedral of St Peter and Paul. Which I mentioned, along with a neat story about why the noon bells ring at 11am in this post.

We took a quick look inside…..

Then headed to the back area of the Cathedral…where we noticed gardens and terraces nad also a nice view. This is to the area at the intersection of Husova and Nadrazni….. I'm not quite sure why that tram goes right through the grass on the street, I thought it odd.

To the left you can see the train station, which we thought was kind of seedy. Also, the Tesco at which we shopped is also in view.

Notice also the stairs heading down from the former city walls. We knew that the Nadrazni went right around Petrov Hill, but never knew what a short distance it was….we'd found a faster way to Freedom Square! We ended up going down the stairs, past the still closed shops…passing Malinovsky Square along the way. On the square resides Mahen Theatre, a significant building….it was the first theatre in Europe to be completely lit by "Edison Bulbs", electric light bulbs. In fact, Thomas Edison actually designed the plans to light the theatre.

We were headed to a green belt/park area to the east of Petrov Hill….

It was along this area where Zdenek had indicated that the "Cabbage Market" had relocated while the original location was being renovated.. At the end of the park we noticed booths and tents set-up.

We ended up getting some tomatoes and headed off to our next stop; Špilberk Castle. Overlooking Brno, the castle has a long history.

The paths up were an easy little walk; though I was glad it wasn't raining anymore. The walkways would be pretty slippery when wet.

There were several monuments on the way up. This one is of Jean-Louis Raduit de Souches, who if you're keeping score saved Brno from the Swedes during the Thirty Years War.

The castle currently houses the Brno City Museum. I castle is quite understated and not quite what you'd think upon hearing the word "castle".

The view though is wonderful.

After a short visit, we decided to head back to the apartment for lunch. We stopped off at a market we'd seen earlier in the day.

Appropriately named, this little market chain has a nice collection of upscale and health food products, nice meats, cheeses, and beer. The folks here were really nice, even though no one spoke any English, it was easy communicating and getting what we wanted.

Sklizeno Foodie Market
Josefská 14
Brno, Czech Republic

With leftovers from the previous day, tomatoes from the Cabbage Market, and some salumi from Sklizeno, we ended up having a very nice lunch.

Which provided us a perfect reason for a nap!

Midweek Meanderings: Rumors about Hana Mart, growing mutant okra, and recently consumed

September 10, 2014 mmm-yoso Cooking, Markets & Grocers, yoso-silly

Rumors about Hana Mart:

Poor Hana Mart. I recently heard from two very reliable sources that the former U Mart will be changing hands again soon.

I find this kind of sad. Even though I believe the produce, meat, and other items are better than what Zion Market sells, the place just can't seem to get any traction.

Bummer. I did ask if the place was going to go through another name change, but no one knew….. I hope they eventually find their way. Competition is a good thing.

Hana Mart
4611 Mercury St
San Diego, CA 92111

We're growing mutant okra:

Our recent crop of okra kind of freaked me out.

We let them go for a couple of extra days and they went crazy. The plants that we're using drip irrigation on are doing much better than the ones being watered conventionally, in size and flavor as well.

These were a bit tougher, but super sweet and moist. Here are a few photos to give you some perspective.

Crazy, huh?

Recently Consumed:

It's been mostly lighter fare…….

On the top is a pork-jalapeno sausage topped with a stir-fried okra – ghost pepper relish on top of lettuce from our yard. On the bottom is a smoked scallop "roll". I quick smoked some smaller scallops from Catalina Offshore, finishing with a quick sear. I made a stir-fry for the Missus (see below), and put the rest in the fridge. The next day I chopped up what was left over, added in some scallions and celery from our garden, mixed in some mayo, and seasoned to make a nice refreshing dinner.

And then of course, we're really enjoying our latest batch of Utopenci. Nice and refreshing with a beer on a hot day…. which seems to be everyday over the last couple of weeks….

Tell me, what have you been doing to stay cool?

The Haunted Looking Aisles of Hana Mart

August 12, 2014 mmm-yoso Markets & Grocers

**** Hana Mart did not last long either.

Well, U Mart sure didn't last long, did it?

By the end of the first quarter a change over was already occurring. I felt really bad for the folks who started up U Mart, who used to have small, mom-and-pop First Korean Market. Just think, you close up a shop that has been surviving for years, taking a shot at the big time….and going down in flames. Kind of sad. I asked around a bit and one thing really stuck out…..I was told that among the really bad decisions made, the worst was putting all the produce in plastic…folks like to touch, smell, feel, and I guess sometimes even throw the fruits and veggies around? Anyway, I was told that the former owner of U Mart was still in the picture helping to manage Hana Mart.

The Missus and I visited one weekend afternoon and the place was deserted…..as in, "you could hear a fish fart" quiet.

The prices, even for produce was competitive and I'd say of better quality that Zion Market, where I've been less than satisified as of late.

I felt kind of sad, which soon turned to creeped out….this seemed like a set for an Asian horror flick. I expected to hear a young girl laughing, catching a glimpse of a pony tail and school uniform which turns the corner. Curious, I'd follow only to be startled by a faceless apparition, making strange clicking sounds, which then sucks the life out of me! Yeow…..

There was not a single customer in the place…….

Eerie, yeah?

Finally, I saw a flash of yellow….what was it? Some kind of alien creature that feeds on human flesh? No, it was only the cashier…whew….

We ended up buying bunch of stuff, including some baechu kimchi which was better than the stuff we get at Zion. It's kind of sad, I'm hoping that business picks up.

Hana Mart
4611 Mercury St
San Diego, CA 92111

We heard a bunch of laughing when we were paying for our groceries. At least Happy Family, which Cathy posted on seems to be doing well.