Markets & Grocers – Page 26

Shopping and eating on University Avenue: Penzey’s Spices, La Casa del Maiz and Carnitas Las Michoacanas

July 24, 2012 Cathy Markets & Grocers, Mexican Restaurants, Taco Shops, What Cathy Eats!

La Casa del Maiz has closed.

This is the food blog called mmm-yoso!!! The bloggers here are usually Kirk, sometimes ed(from Yuma) and sometimes Cathy. Today is one of those sometimes Cathy days.

Well. This has been a crazy summer so far. The Mister and I seem to have something scheduled every day, but aren't overly busy…just home-type chores, which includes gardening and the occasional Home Depot and food runs. We have been cooking at home a lot and were thrilled when we found out that Penzey's Spices was opening a San Diego location. Kirk posted about one of his Penzey's stops during a Torrance Road Trip in 2010. The Mister and I get excited when the Penzeys catalog shows up every couple of months and usually make two orders a year, to save on shipping charges. The spices, herbs and blends are so fresh and interesting. We decided to take a drive West, to the Hillcrest area of town to see "our" new Penzey's store.

The store is located on University Avenue one block East of the Ralphs/Trader Joe's Center, in the same parking area that has the Starbucks. Apparently that little mall is named Hillcrest Colonnade.

The display area inside is mostly stacked wooden crates and even this kitchen vignette (I grew up with a Kelvinator refrigerator just like this one; a common sight in Detroit). See the larger jar in the middle on top of that fridge? That's a sample jar. There is one with just about every product in the store- you can smell the herbs, spices, whole chilis and blends (there are even glass bottles with the liquid extracts for you to sniff). It was like reading the catalog but live!

As I said, we have purchased items from here before and sort of knew what we wanted… but of course we got more than that. The blends are very convenient and have all the flavors we like and would end up mixing anyhow. (The Mitchell Street Steak Seasoning was our 'gift' when we presented a coupon from the catalog which we had received in the mail.)

Really, I only came here for the peppers- they are unusually moist and fresh…they smell 'rich' and almost buttery in the sample jars; that's the only way I can explain it. They are not all dry like the stuff from dusty packages on store shelves that need to be reconstituted or added to liquid to get at the flavor. I don't use much for the flavors I like and the smaller size portions available are just right for a few months.

We then headed East on University and in the newer City Heights mall area (with the Albertsons, McDonald's, Starbucks among other stores) made a stop (for the second time now) at this clean, modern tortilleria, La Casa del Maiz.

Basically a tortilla factory

which sells a few other related items

shelf stable milk, eggs, cheeses, salsas and a refrigerator of beverages, mostly Jarritos.

On this visit, we went all crazy and purchased a dozen flour and a dozen corn (you are given a choice of white or yellow) tortillas. The corn are wrapped in paper and are sold by weight. How much are these still warm , fresh made tortillas?

Yes. A dozen fresh, hot corn tortillas *and* a dozen fresh, nicely thin and flaky flour tortillas…that's the price.

Since it was close to lunch time, we continued East on University, down to one block West of the Kroc Center. This sign is on what used to be a Starbucks and can be seen from the street. The restaurant is just to the left in this photo.

Walk in and that's the menu: Burritos, carnitas by the pound, quesedillas, sopes, soups, tacos, plates, posole, tortas, tostadas maravilla and chilaquiles. The by the pound carnitas are not at all the only meat here, although (so far) I like it very much.

Neat and clean, there is seating for 60 inside.

If you order to eat in, sides are brought to your table when you order.

As well as a salsa bar at the front, if you are buying something 'to go'. As an aside, the green hot sauce tastes green-and is hot/spicy. The orange hot sauce is very pleasant and has a mild, if any, heat.

On our first visit we ordered one pound of carnitas ($10.99). It comes with rice, beans(cooked with lard and runny, in a good way) and a dozen corn tortillas.

The carnitas are just filled with flavor, moist with a little crispness, not fatty and just right. This serving of one pound was substantial for the two of us; we had leftovers (especially of the tortillas, which are good, but not when compared to those from La Casa del Maiz)

This was the recent meal- a carnitas taco ($2.39) and a cheese quesedila ($2.79)-filled with all white cheese and very good with the hot sauces offered.

The al Pastor burrito ($4.99). The marinated meat is tender, flavorful and plenty in the burrito, which has some rice and the wonderful wet beans, the al pastor marinade and avocado. This was a wonderful surprise and I now want to order the other meats on the menu…

All in all, a nice drive, great food and shopping and we were almost home. I hope all of you are having a good week.

Penzey's Spices 1274 University Avenue San Diego 92104 (619) 297-2777

La Casa Del Maiz 4403 University, Suite 100 San Diego, 92105 (619) 283-3566

Carnitas Las Michoacanas 6503 University Avenue San Diego 92115 (619)229-9574

Tunis: The Central Market and Restaurant Abid

June 28, 2012 mmm-yoso Markets & Grocers, North African Food, Seafood, Travel, Tunisia, Tunisian Food

How did we end up in Tunis? Well, it's kind of a long story….in the beginning, during the planning stages things just happened as they always do. The Missus starts planning for our next trip just about as soon as we return from our last vacation. But this time we had a short interlude as we travelled back to Hawaii. This put our plans, at that time it was Rome/Morroco into kind of a holding pattern. By the time things started up again it was late February. I felt our time in Istanbul was basically unfinished business and the price of a round trip from San Diego was rather reasonable…so I booked it. Then one day the Missus asked me about Tunisia….she had never heard of the country, you believe that? I guess it's one of the benefits of an education in a Communist country. Thinking it over, I thought it was a great idea, there was so much history in Tunisia, after all historic Carthage was there…."home of Hannibal" I told the Missus. To which She replied, "you mean the cannibal?" Sigh…..there was much talk and planning after that, but the result was us flying from Istanbul to Carthage-Tunis airport. I'd read a good bit about the taxi cons at the airport….which turned out to be pretty true. We were met just outside the arrival hall by a nice young man who asked us if we needed a taxi. I asked him if he was the driver, he said yes and led us to a taxi, immediately grabbing the Missus' bag. We got to the taxi stand, one guy opened the trunk, he opened the door, and a third guy came out…the real driver. You can pretty much figure out what was going on here, right? Everybody had their hand out, one for leading us to the taxi, the dude for opening the trunk, and the driver wanted to charge us 40 dinars, about $25 bucks for the drive into Tunis, which would cost about 5-10 dinars. Anyway, we got him down to 10 dinars and got our ride to the center of Tunis, right smack in the middle of Avenue Habib Bourgiba, the main drag. We quickly noticed that there wasn't much English going on and the folks at the front desk of the hotel really wanted nothing to do with us. The room was cheap, the location great, the supposedly in room wi-fi was only really good from the balcony of the hotel restaurant, which only served breakfast……we snuck in whenever we wanted to check our email and stuff.

After a quick shower we headed out to crowded Habib Bourgibat o find some lunch. One thing we quickly noticed was how friendly people were…….from the touts that wanted us to have coffee at one of the many shops to groups of young men on the street, trying to guess where we were from…"konnichiwa", "ni hao"….whenever we'd answer with hello, they'd look at us funny. i'm sure many of these had some racket going on, but it was all in fun. It was warm, but there was a slight breeze, a warm breeze. Using what we'd soon find out was a pretty outdated map, I searched for the restaurant…..we were pretty bushed. All in vain….nice folks tried to help us, but I really knew only three words in French, the second language in Tunisia…well, I actually knew a bunch of stuff when it came to food, but other than that it was mostly, "bonjour", "merci" and "pardon"……I milked it for all I could. After walking all almost all the way down Habib Bourgiba past the Clock Tower….it seemed like the restaurant and the address I was looking for didn't exist?

It seemed like we were throwing our lives to the wind crossing the street….which was somewhat intimidating until we got used to things. It seems like there are no driving laws in Tunisia…..only suggestions. If you thought crossing the street in Vietnam was tough….try it with a zillion yellow cabs flying around you.

We ended up turning around and walking all the way back down in the opposite direction. We were surprised to find a large cathedral right on Habib Bourgiba….the Cathedral of St. Vincent de Paul….very photogenic. Here's a photo from the next morning.

In maps the street sure seemed long….but it was not too long of a walk. The masses of people made things seem congested and it was getting much hotter. The Missus thought the Central Market was close by and She stopped and asked a bunch of guys standing around….there were many groups of men standing about and drinking coffee at like 1 in the afternoon! None of them spoke English, but they really tried hard and we finally got pointed in the right direction when I said, "Rue de Charles de Gaulle". And after passing mobs of folks and merchants with open boxes of stuff on the street, we made it into the market……

I was rather surprised at the huge amount of seafood being sold……..

There was a booth where three guys were hacking away at a huge tuna….wasn't bluefin, though. I was later told that all the premium fishes go straight to Japan.

It was much less crowded inside the market than the streets outside. It gave us some time to figure out where we wanted to eat next.

After deciding our next attempt at finding something a place for lunch. We walked back into the now fairly hot street and the crowds. We found Habib Bourgiba again and headed back in the direction we came….we'd traveled enough and knew how disorienting things can be your first day in a large city in a foreign country..but when I almost ran smack into barbed wire and the guy holding a machine gun in front of the Interior Ministry, the Missus had starting getting a bit frazzled. Remember, Tunisia had just gone through a revolution a bit over a year ago…..folks I'd spoken to thought us a bit crazy to be coming here….unjustifiably so. So anyway, we crossed the street and crossed back, found the sign for Rue de Turque and started looking for the street parallel to Habib Bourgiba called Rue de Yougoslavie and wasn't able to find it. We kept walking unitl it just seemed too far. Spoke to a couple of folks who had no idea where Rue de Yougoslavie was. As we headed back to Habib Bourgiba I saw it. Apparently, Rue de Yougoslavie no longer exists…..the street sign on the side of the building with the name was blacked out with paint and it was now called something else! The street was actually just a block away from the main street! It was then a short walk to our destination, Restaurant Abid, which had been described to me as a place where the locals ate Sfaxian influenced dishes…seafood. Sfaxian cuisine was also supposed to be quite spicy as well.

It looked kind of as advertised, very clean, all local customers, and very inexpensive. The guy running the place…..who I think is Abid, a large jovial man, who reminded me of John Rhys Davies character in Indiana Jones spoke good English and greeted us with a booming "WELCOME, WELCOME! Thanks Gods you come here….."

We were starved and were excited to try some Tunisian dishes for the first time. We were given a small plate of the standard condiment, harissa, basically a chili paste/sauce. The version from Sfax is supposed to be really spicy and we were warned when it reached the table.

I'm guessing you're not supposed to be able to tolerate the stuff plain and the dude almost had a dyspeptic fit when the Missus and I each took a small taste……it was slightly spicy, heat, but nothing else…..other than being a bit spicy it was pretty plain. The bread we had cut it even more….

The fish soup was very fishy and the Missus couldn't handle it.

I was really excited to try mechouia, the classic "salad" of roasted peppers.

I expected smokiness, maybe some garlic and herbs….fruitiness from the olive oil, but this was pretty bland and seriously lacking in salt.

At least I really enjoyed my merguez. The sausage had been deep fried, which really crisped up the natural casing. The sausage was slightly gamey with some mild spice.

I never had frites that I enjoyed in Tunisia until the day we left. These were limp, soggy, and kinda dry…..but that's the way they were just about everywhere.

The Missus ordered the crevettes grille – grilled shrimp.

One thing you quickly notice. The shrimp aren't all the same size, which for us is a good sign….it means it's not obviously farmed raised. Unfortunately, the shrimp were cooked to death and like most everything else lacking in seasoning….it was just strangely bland.

Not quite the first meal we had planned, but hey, the place was super clean, and the meal cost us about the equivalent of $13 US!

We had regrouped during our meal and settled down. Our bearing were much better as we headed back to our room. The Missus wanted to have something sweet for dessert……since Habib Bourgiba is considered the Champs-Élysées of Tunisia, why not stop at the cafe of the same name. We managed to place our order in the crowded cafe and actually found an open table, no mean feat at that time.

It was here that I got my first taste of the coffee in Tunisia, which wasn't overly strong, but just smooth enough for my taste. This would be the first of many cups of "cafe express" (espresso) for me.

We really took notice of the crowds drinking coffee in these cafes, overwhelmingly male, aged from 18 to maybe late twenties. We'd see these guys drinking coffee all day. I really came to appreciate the Cafe Culture, but on the other hand, shouldn't all these young men be working? It really doesn't bode well for Tunis to have all of these seemingly well educated, well dressed young men who should be on their way to starting careers to be wasting their post college days in cafes all day long. Hopefully things will improve in the future…….

Midweek Meanderings: Impulse Purchase Edition – Stuff from North Park Produce, Awash Market, Molokhia from Nijiya, Costco, and guess what we brought back from Rhodes?

June 20, 2012 mmm-yoso Markets & Grocers, Rhodes

Here's a bunch of odds and ends and even some recent surprises.

An impulse buy form North Park Produce:

I've kinda stopped doing posts on markets and grocers, though perhaps I should do a few more. Though I shop at North Park Produce biweekly, I've starting taking a bit more time to really check things out. I've noticed some very interesting items and the weekend we got back from our trip I saw something that surprised me. I just had to buy it……

Recognize it?

Yep…it's kuru patlican! Dried eggplant, one of items I mentioned in my last most recent post on Istanbul! I was quite surprised to see it, though I've been noticing more products from Turkey recently.

Now I've just got to figure out what to do with it.

North Park Produce
3551 El Cajon Blvd
San Diego, CA 92104

An impulse buy from Awash Market:

We recently walked into Awash Market on El Cajon Boulevard. Folks there we really nice. We ended up buying a selection of Ethiopian Beer and Honey wine.

The guy behind the counter was quick to tell us that "honey wine is what Jesus made from water!" I was also told that they make their own honey wine as well. I'm sure we'll be eating there in the future. I really enjoyed Meta Beer, it has a honey finish, might even go well with baklava…..

Awash Market
2884 El Cajon Blvd
San Diego, CA 92104

Molokhia from Nijiya? It's true:

One of the more interesting and delicious dishes we ate in Tunisia was served in a buffet. It was this black and somewhat viscous stew of beef. We were told it was made with dried molokhia. No one else was eating it….the Missus and I had seconds and then some. The Chef de Cuisine was so delighted he came to talk to us. It was made from dried molokhia, a type of corchorus and totally foreign to us. The chef told us that molokhia reflected the arab side of Tunisian cuisine.

So I was absolutely astounded when we dropped by Nijiya to grab some groceries and saw…….molokhia!

Not quite sure what I'm going to make….I'm open to suggestions! Man, Nijiya is full of surprises. Last year it was the fresh chanterelles, this year molokhia! I can only imagine what's next.

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

What we brought back from Rhodes:

You're going to laugh at this one……..

I think I covered the Missus' love affair with the very dry, twice baked bread called rusk, which She just couldn't get enough of during our visit to Crete. During our stay on Rhodes, we decided to have a light dinner. There's a pretty good market within the city walls of Rhodes, but they had no bread. When we returned to our room I set things out on the private, not so little patio, which we had all to ourselves.

The Missus came back and told me the mini-mart had also sold out of bread. She then held up a bag….of rusk, telling me, "but they had this!" How convenient. Funny thing was, I really liked it. And it was from Crete as well.

At first I thought that perhaps it was a combination of the bottle of wine and the beautiful Rodos sunset.

But we bought most of the package of rusk back with us….and you know what? I really do like it…what can I say?

Lychee from Costco:

We went to Costco for our quarterly toilet paper shopping trip and I was surprised to see Lychee.

There was an open container so I checked it out…weight was good, it felt tender but not mushy, there was no space between the peel and the flesh, so it didn't seem frozen. Yeah, I know, first I'm petting my uni, now I'm feeling my lychee…what's next "dogs and cats living together"?

This was better than the stuff we've recently had from various Asian markets around San Diego. The Missus has been enjoying it with……a homage to Her, ahem, delusional Greek roots….Greek yogurt. She says it's quite good. I'll just let it go at that……..

So, what interesting impulse buy have you made recently?

Carnival Supermarket-Lunch in the Store

June 7, 2012 Cathy Markets & Grocers, What Cathy Eats!

Well. You've found yourself at the mmm-yoso!!! food blog again. Kirk is vacationing in a colorful part of the world, ed (from Yuma) is having fun in Yuma, a colorful part of the United States and Cathy has ventured to a colorful part of San Diego.

Hello again. If you've ever been on Convoy street at Mesa College Drive, in the parking lot where K Sandwiches and Anh Hong are, or maybe parked in that parking lot and walked over to Mien Trung or Sushi Diner and then left the parking lot on the side street (onto Mesa College Drive), you have to turn right and at the signal light, which is Ashford Street, make a U-Turn to get back to Convoy, (or you can turn right into that parking lot, where Homestyle Hawaiian is located).

If you make a right on Ashford, about a half mile through that neighborhood of houses is a signal light (which is Beagle Street and Stalmer Street) and Carnival Market is about 100 feet further, on the West side of Ashford.

Carnival is a local, neighborhood Supermarket. It is small. When you walk in the main door, you are in the Produce Department. To your left are the check out counters.

To your right are the Ready to Eat counters.

Yes. Lamb shanks- this is not just a Mexican Market; several Middle Eastern items are made and sold here, but not flatbreads. The Chicharron in Salsa Verde is a specialty that not many markets or restaurants sell; it is really good.

Whole roasted chickens, various pork preparations…

We'll be back to this counter for lunch after a short tour.

There is a bakery section, which makes all sorts of desserts.

Five floor-to-taller-than-me doors of small baked goods. (Made without preservatives or lard).

The small (10 for $1.10) and large (4 for $1) bolillos are made fresh several times a day.

As are the tortillas, which I always purchase.

The seafood counter is small, but has good choices.

As does the meat counter.

and the cheese counter.

Just enough selection and variety and good prices to get me to visit here regularly.

Then there is the Eat In Area. A visit here isn't complete without a ready to eat item or three…

The tables are next to the Taqueria and there is a salsa bar available.

There are several house made salsas (which you can purchase in the cases) and other condiments available. You get your hot foods and pay at the front cash registers then walk back here to the tables to eat.

The Guisado of the day was $5.99 a pound. This much was $5.27. It was Beef Birria -essentially pot roast- definitely made with garlic, cumin, cloves, cinnamon and I am sure many other spices as well as several types of chilies. The meat was very tender, the sauce very rich and deep flavored.

This is about 1/2 pound of shrimp and octopus cocktail ($4.27). Fresh, fresh made. Fresh, plump, large shrimp. The sauce is very mild and salsa and hot sauce were added while I was eating.

I'm sure you noticed above that the fried tilapia, whole or fillets, was $2.99. Add rice, beans and four hot, fresh tortillas and this plate was…$3.99. You know I had to. The lady behind the counter was surprised I wanted the whole fish and went to some trouble to select one of the larger, meatier ones for me.

Once again, I finished it all.

Carnival Market isn't large, but it has everything you might want or need. And then some.

Carnival Supermarket 3560 Ashford Street San Diego 92111 (858) 277-1505 Open 7 am-10 pm, seven days

Balboa International Market-the in store restaurant (revisit)

May 31, 2012 Cathy Markets & Grocers, Mediterranean Restaurants, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso!!! is the blog you are reading. Kirk is off in a foreign land, eating and writing a post. ed (from Yuma) is in Yuma, eating and also writing a post. Cathy is in San Diego. She ate and wrote this post.

Hi. I wrote a post about Balboa International Market around the time it opened, in October of 2010. This is a short update. It is not located directly on Balboa Avenue, but is parallel to it, behind the two banks and mall with a See's Candy store.

There are quite a few Mediterranean Markets in East County, closer to where I live. All have an in store or attached to the store restaurant. Occasionally I travel West and enjoy lunch and do some shopping at Balboa International Market.

Balboa International Market has an excellent selection of pickled vegetables

as well as jarred and canned sauces and many brands of canned seafood

and condiments and spices of all types.

Olive oils from many countries, packaged cookies from many countries and (look at the sign straight ahead) certified Halal meats and other products are sold here.

There is a good selection of fresh fruits

and vegetables at very good prices. Looking straight ahead in the above photo, is the bakery area. Fresh, in store baked flat breads of many types can be purchased here.

I did make such a purchase as The Mister ordered lunch-at the far left corner (from the front door) of the store -at the meat counter.

This bread was labeled as wheat. It was thicker/spongier/had a good 'tooth' than the usual flat bread and still hot when I grabbed it off the shelf and paid for it ($2.29) and took it to the table, where The Mister had started a cup of hot tea ($1) after he had ordered and paid. The sesame seeds and the bottom floured layer of this particular bread made it tasty when re-heated the next morning. Yes, there was bread left over for the next morning because this photo is not some sort of optical illusion: The loaf of bread is about three feet by eight inches.

My fish plate ($7.99). Two very large white fish (tilapia) filets which were very lightly floured and seasoned with a mix of Middle Eastern spices then lightly pan fried. The fish was meaty, moist and had just a bit of crispness. The rice is called 'green rice' -it is basmati rice with fresh dill and topped with a spoonful of the yellow (saffron) rice. This is Persian, as are the seasonings used. The side order of salad with onion, cucumber and tomato is topped with a mustard vinaigrette.

Originally The Mister wanted a chicken salad which is a salad with Feta and olives and a chicken breast kabob. It costs $7.99. But this is the chicken kabob plate with no rice but instead salad substituted for the rice along with the salad the plate comes with and is only $6.99. The kabob is marinated boneless chicken breast which is charbroiled.

The in store bakery at Balboa International Market does not sell sweets, other than one sweet bread, but in the same mall is Balboa Bakery. -Another post- It is a small bakery and just fresh pastries and coffee sold here.

Balboa International Market 5907 Balboa Avenue San Diego 92111 (858) 277-3600 Website

Athens: A little self catering

March 23, 2012 mmm-yoso Athens, Greece, Greek Food, Markets & Grocers, Travel

We headed back to our room after a pretty long day, starting with the Acropolis, down to the Ancient Angora, up to the Central Market, back to Syntagma Square and the changing of the guard. It was time to head back. We did take a short break at Hadrian's Arch, built by the Emperor Hadrian in 131 AD. It is said that the arch marked the dividing line between the old city and the new city of Athens. Just a handful of yards away stands the Temple of Olympian Zeus. Work on the temple was started in the 6th century BC, but not completed until the reign of Hadrian. It was built to be the greatest temple Greece, but was pillaged by the Romans in the 3rd century AD. Eventually, much of the temple was removed to be used for construction elsewhere.

By this time, I'd pretty much had my fill of ruins and temples. Walking back up the hill to our hotel, we ran smack dab into the farmer's market that was just getting started when we left in the morning.

This was how it looked in the morning…….

Right now it was going full blast……..

It had been a pretty long day and we didn't feel like heading off into the mass of humanity that is the Plaka, so we decided to self cater. Hotel Tony had a small kitchenette stocked with plates and utensils. We first headed down a couple blocks and went to the market. We bought some cheese and a bottle of wine.

While the really nice fellow behind the counter fed the Missus samples, I had a look around. I even noticed Soy Sauce being sold. Having picked out what we needed we headed back up to the now dwindling mass of humanity and started browsing.

Of course olives were on our list and this stand had a great selection.

We went through all the booths of tomatoes and found some really ripe ones and some great cucumber as well. No stove so their wouldn't be any cooking going on, though that's not to say I wasn't sorely tempted…..

While the Missus freshened up, I popped open the bottle of wine and set the table. You see, the other thing great about this room at Hotel Tony was the little balcony.

Dinner was perfect for relaxing at the end of a somewhat busy day. It gave the Missus and I time to reflect on our day and plan what was coming up next.

As I watched folks going about their daily routine, getting home form work or taking the dog out for a walk, I was reminded of something that I always mention to folks…… we are more alike than different.

I also reflected on the fact that here I was…in Athens…..over 2000 miles from my home in San Diego, sipping wine on a balcony watching a young woman walking a dog. How did some poor kid from Hawaii ever manage to get here? I have really been lucky……

Of course, I didn't have too much time to dwell on the subject…..I was dog tired.

We'd be having a long day again tomorrow….maybe not physically…..we were headed to Delphi and Meteora in the morning.

Thanks for reading!

Athens: The Acropolis, Ancient Agora, and Central Market

March 13, 2012 mmm-yoso Athens, Greece, Markets & Grocers, Travel

No trip to Athens would be complete without a trip to the Acropolis to see the iconic Parthenon. The Missus's plan was to get there early before late rising Athens was fully awake and take in as much of the Acropolis and the Ancient Agora as we could. We awoke at a pretty late (for us) 7am and left Hotel Tony for the Acropolis at about seven-thirty.

We were surprised when we walked out to the street and saw this.

Walking into the lobby of the hotel, I spoke to Tony who told me once a month, Zacharista has a large market day, with fresh fruits, vegetables, and other food items for sale.

Our lucky day! This would add another wrinkle to our day which i'll cover in another post.

We made our way to the Acroplois through the surprisingly empty streets……..

I guess even the dogs wake up late in Athens…….

As we aid our admissions and walked up the stairs we ran into the soldiers who guard the Acropolis on their way down…..

Rifles over their left shoulder, left arm swinging back then high into the air as they marched. It was quite a sight.

Walking up the stairs, you look up and see the pillars of the Propylaea rising up in the air. It's quite a dramatic sight.

It's easy to imagine the drama and pageantry that took place here.

Of course once past the Propylaea, there's the Parthenon, one of the undying symbols of Greece.

Most of the major building that we're familiar with were built under the watch of Pericles. Of these the Parthenon is the most recognized and impressive. Built as temple dedicated to the Goddess Athena, it actually replaced the "Older Parthenon" which was destroyed by the Persians around 480BC.

Yet, the Acropolis is not defined by the Parthenon alone. For us, one of the most interesting and photogenic structures is the Erechtheion.

And the beautiful "Porch of the Maidens".

There's a look-out where the flag of Greece is raised, the views from there are fantastic.

Overall, it was nice to see, but for some reason this felt anti-climatic after our visit to Ephesus.

After our visit we headed down the hill and Panatheniac Way to the Ancient Agora, once the heart of Athens.

I enjoyed meandering along the paths, some of which have been used for centuries.

The two most prominent structures in the area are the Temple of Hephaestus.

Built for Hephaestus the God of technology and artisans.

And the Stoa of Attalos which is now the Ancient Agora Museum. We had times things right, the place was empty when we arrived and the echoes of the hallways and peristyle really played with one's imagination.

Perhaps it was because we could only hear the rustle of the trees and the birds singing between our footsteps; but I enjoyed this more than the Acropolis Museum. The busts lining the peristyle seemed to gaze upon us……..

There's a small, concise collection of items related to the Athenian democracy.

We decided that having seen the Ancient Agora, that we should make our way to the present day agora, the Athens Central Market. The building of the "modern" market was initiated in 1875. Like most of these types of markets (and we've been to a few), things are organized in sections. For us, the most fascinating was the meat. Where the carcasses of lamb were cut directly in half, looking like something from an anatomy book.

I was particularly fascinated by the offal, especially the long strands of intestine hanging on a hook like twine, ready to be spun around offal to make kokoretsi.

The Missus and I noticed something interesting as we passed the rabbits hanging ready for sale. We wondered why they left the furry tail and hind feet intact. Was it a sign of neatness, or perhaps freshness?

The seafood area was another place where I took my time looking around. The seafood looked very fresh and the smells were of the sea, not decomposing flesh.

Eventually, we found ourselves outside the market……

Passing along the perimeter and the nuts, sausages, and fruits…..

By this time we'd covered quite a bit of ground for a single morning and the Missus was hungry. And I knew just the place………..

Lucky Seafood- a meal and a take home snack

March 2, 2012 Cathy Markets & Grocers, Seafood, Vietnamese Restaurants, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso!!! is the name of the blog you are reading. A few friends write about food they eat, take photos and share meals with you. Kirk is too busy to write today and so is ed(from Yuma. That leaves Cathy, who is sharing a meal and a snack.

Hi. This is a short post. Kirk has written only one post devoted to Lucky Pho, yet Lucky is mentioned in about 24 of our mmm-yoso posts. The restaurant adjoining the grocery store is a favorite/regular spot for The Mister and I of all the pho places around this large county. This the place I recommend to anyone who asks me "where do you like to eat?"

On this cloudy, chilly morning, both of us wanted soup and we disagreed about the basic broth. So instead of messing up the kitchen, we each chose our own preference at Lucky.

The Mister chose Pho Tai ($6.50)…

and I chose the shrimp and krab ($6.50). It's made with different noodles and a very rich fish broth, which was what I was wanting. You'll notice there is mint on the plate of add ins- that's for the seafood soup, otherwise all the usual add ins of sprouts, jalapeno, basil and lime.

Of course we always get the Spring rolls here ($5.50). These are more meat than vegetable filled and always perfectly fried. Another great meal.

Since we were at a market, I started to think about the weekly shopping. There were too many people inside to take photos of the produce section, but the prices here are good and the vegetables and fruit are always fresh.

I headed over to the seafood area where most items are in open display.

Fish heads (great for soup making) are still only $1.99/lb.

The pretty parrot fish caught my eye. I've never had one and wondered how it would taste.

Then I saw the overhead sign…

I waited in line and handed the nice young man my chosen fish, which was weighed and priced and in a few minutes, my number was called.

Then I went to checkout and paid for all of my purchases…

This is my lovely fried parrot fish. It is very meaty was good while hot, but also turned out to taste very good when cold.

No photo of the resulting carcass; you've seen enough this week. I hope all of you have a good weekend! Stay warm and dry!

Lucky Seafood and Pho 9326 Mira Mesa Blvd San Diego Ca 92126

Midweek Meanderings: Hinotez (finally) starting Yakitori, Viet Bakery and Pho and Moby Dick Fish Market (I kid you not) coming soon

February 8, 2012 mmm-yoso Japanese Restaurants, Markets & Grocers, Vietnamese Restaurants

Hinotez finally starting yakitori:

Dennis has already mentioned this, but since I had started on a draft of this post I thought I'd follow-thru:

I've been to Hinotez several times, but mostly for breakfast. I'd been waiting for them to get their menu finalized and that looks like it'll take place soon. So they're starting up yakitori in spite of not having their beer and wine license yet.

One other thing that Dennis mentioned was that they're now doing bentos:

Which are prices right and looked pretty good. The young lady who always seems to be working when I have breakfast there told me that the Tonkatsu Sandwich is very popular.

Looking over the bentos, I had a nice laugh when I notcied that the "healthy" bento had potato salad in it…… I guess the term healthy is relative, right?

Hinotez
7947 Balboa Ave
San Diego, CA 92111

Coming soon to the Convoy area:

On the way out of the parking lot after having lunch at Swab Shabu World with Mr Z, I noticed this signage had just gone up.

Viet Bakery and Pho? Banh Mi and Pho? Not quite sure and my usual sources haven't been able to get me anything yet. This is in the space that Imperial Mandarin gave up when they cut their restaurant size in half. So for sure more Pho, not quite sure if it's more Banh Mi……

3904 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111

Right up the street is another change. There's a fish market called, I kid you not….Moby Dick Fish Market…..ahoy!!!

For some reason this scene came to mind, not sure why……

I did ask around a bit and found out that this is the same guy who used to own Convoy Sushi and Fish Market and North Park Sushi and Fish Market. Does he have a short attention span or what? I'll give him this much, he keeps on trying….. Dennis did send me a text noting the irony of the name. The place used to be a "Gentleman's Club"…….

4805 Convoy St.

I hope everyone is having a great week!

Monday Meanderings: Shabu World Opens, Izakaya Sakura Reopens, a visit to the new Northgate Market, and stuff recently consumed

January 16, 2012 mmm-yoso Cooking, Japanese Restaurants, Markets & Grocers

My list of odds and ends is just getting bigger and bigger so I thought I'd better do one of these posts.

SwabShabu World Opens:

I swear to god, the first time I saw the sign, I thought it said "Swab World". And doesn't it look like the place swiped the Nike Swoosh?

I gotta say, this place opened rather quickly. I recall emailing Dennis about just maybe two weeks ago. For some reason, the Missus wasn't too keen on checking the place out…..I guess I'll have to wait and go solo.

Here are the menus:

Shabu Shabu World
3904 Convoy St #117
San Diego, CA 92111

Izakaya Sakura reopens:

Perhaps the reason that the Missus didn't pay much attention to Shabu World is that after closed for repairs for over a month Sakura has finally reopened. I actually knew about it for almost two weeks, but made the Missus wait…..I wanted the place to work out any "kinks". So the Missus was really trying to scratch Her Ten Don itch. I guess we'll be back eating here once a week again.

The place looks much brighter and clean, making it look larger and more spacious.

A bar/counter area now occupies the window area across from the sushi bar adding more seating.

And my Negi-Maguro-Natto Don was as good as ever…….

Izakaya Sakura
3904 Convoy St #121
San Diego, CA 92111

A visit to the new Northgate Market on University:

I'd heard this place opened so one morning, after doing some shopping at North Park Produce and Minh Huong Market, I drove down to the corner of 54th and University to check the place out. Look at the vans for the free shuttle service offered by the market:

The place is not as humongous as the store on 43rd street, but it is big enough.

You gotta excuse me if I spent most of my time in front of all the prepared food……

This stuff just seems to be trying to speak to me….I gotta find myself a "pork whisperer", though I'm pretty sure of what it was saying to me.

I managed not to turn to stone at the sight of the fried medusa and went over to the meat department to pick up some beef liver for Da' Boyz…… but it doesn't mean I wasn't sorely tempted.

Don't fret my fair chicharron, I'll be back to free you on another day….

Northgate Market
5403 University Ave
San Diego, CA 92105

Recently consumed at home:

Just some simple stuff…don't even know why I took photos. But I was pretty lazy over the holidays…..

I made some kalua pork for a pot luck and saved some, which I ended using for a sandwich or two.

Earlier in the year, the Missus and some coworkers were eating at Sipz a lot. Curious, I wondered what the heck they enjoyed so much and was shocked to find out…..and then they told me the prices. I told the Missus that the dishes they enjoyed were no big deal…really, for ten bucks and up??? So She told me to prove it….which I did. But now I'm stuck making stuff not only for Her, but some of the folks She works with too….here's a black-bean tofu dish…the ingredients (other than the oil) cost about $2.50……

I didn't even have to use the Big Kahuna for this. I've made fake pepper steak with broccoli and other stuff as well. As for the oil, I'll filter then reuse for as long as I can. Start with tofu and in the end do your fish and shrimp dishes…..

And of course, not wanting to waste some leftover baguette…..here's a SPAM™ fritatta sandwich….

Silly, I know…but it tasted pretty good……

And finally, just some other silliness:

I'm not sure you know this, but I enjoy some music now and then. I've got a bit too much of it, like about 5,000 songs on my iPod…a bit crazy I know. A good amount are from the thousand or so CD's I own, but I'm always on the hunt for music. The list is slowly shrinking; every year I find a couple….this past year was no exception. I'm really dating myself, but here are a couple that I'd been hunting for years and finally found this year:

I was stoked when I found out that Seawind's music from the mid-late 70's was finally released. I guess the music was tied up…… But man, I saw them play several times and really think they were ahead of their time.

I'm not sure why I really like this one by a band named Q…….but I remember it fondly:

Lastly….well I hated the movie this was from, Xanadu. I remember seeing it and calling it Xana-du-du. But I really enjoyed this piece by Olivia Newton John and the Tubes.

Kinda Embarassing…but heck, I'm too old to really care anymore! The Missus hears this stuff and doesn't quite know what to make of it…….it's kinda funny. Though at least these have words…you should see the look on Her face when I listen to Hank Garland or The Haggis Horns…..