Category: Markets & Grocers

After a recent lunch at Pho Ca Dao, I decided to take a short walk across the parking lot and check out World Foods Supermarket which shares the strip mall with Pho Ca Dao and several other businesses.

As I walked in to the market and began my usual "perimeter walk", two things struck me. First off, much like Pho Ca Dao, World Food was alot smaller then it appears. And second of all, I was surprised at how clean and "smell free" the whole market was.

As I walked through the produce department all the usual suspects were apparent, like some really nice mint.

And though the quantity and variety of produce could not match that of Vien Dong III, there was still a nice assortment of produce and herbs. That’s fresh turmeric on the left and galangal on the right:

Though I found that these peppers were labeled as "Jalapenos". If someone actually thought these were Jalapenos, they’d be in for a BIG surprise!

As with most markets, the meat and seafood section stretched along the entire back wall of the market.

The meat looked fresh, and all the more "specialty" cuts like Pork snouts and ears were available, even some things that really had me stumped.

The seafood section was very clean, and your sense of smell is not attacked by the pungent smells that are sometimes associated with certain Asian Markets. The smells emanating from most markets doesn’t bother me much, but I know it bothers some.

Here’s some really fresh looking shrimp for $3.99/lb.

And as I passed the live seafood tanks…..

I met up with this proud and regal looking fellow:

Surprisingly, World Foods was fairly empty on this Saturday morning, probably because it was the weekend after Tet. World Foods is worth a stop if you’re in the area and need to stock up; the market is clean, and the produce looked pretty good. As with many "International" markets, World Foods, also stocks a variety of items. Check out the hot sauces.

World Foods Supermarket
5245 El Cajon Blvd
San Diego, CA 92115

This past Monday was the Martin Luther King Holiday for me. It was also the coldest day so far this winter, 45 degrees in the early morning according to the Bank Thermometer! Best to go out and grab some pho’ or other soup. But of course the Missus had other ideas!

She: "I want a burger"
Me: "Okay, what do you want? In N Out…."
She: "No I want a home made burger."
Me: "Okay, I go buy some hamburger and I’ll fry some up"
She: "Ummm, no, I want a grilled burger."
Me: "Are you kidding me! It’s freezing out there."
She "Forget it then……"

So a half hour later, there I was driving down the freeway to Iowa Meat Farms, our favorite meat market.  Siesel’s is closer, and both Iowa Meat and Siesel’s is owned by the same Parent Company the Cohn Group. But I’ve always thought that the meat and service at Iowa Meat was better. Case in point, once when I needed a Beef Tenderloin, and I couldn’t find one of appropriate size in the "case". The Cutter actually took me into the back and showed me a bunch of tenderloins, helped me pick one out, cut, trimmed, and tied me a 2 1/2 pound piece off of the tenderloin. Such is the service at Iowa Meat Farms, at least when they aren’t busy.

A quick look at this makes it pretty clear at what Iowa Meat sells:

And it’s "No Bull". Iowa Meat is one of a handful of markets where I trust the quality of the ground beef. USDA prime beef is also sold at Iowa Meat; and I’ll usually spring for a prime cut for special occasions(like Sammy and Frankie’s Birthday). Since we don’t eat alot of beef it’s worth splurging on. There is also a Prime Sirloin Cut called the Cattleman’s Cut that is about 2 inches thick. Grilled over direct heat, on a covered grill, this cut is amazingly tender and tasty for a sirloin. According to what I’ve been told, it is believed that the thicker the cut of sirloin, the more tender. I usually makes this once or twice during grilling season. Meat here is not cheap, but is worth every penny to me.

So I got 2 1/2 pounds of  ground beef, enough for 6 patties(5 for us, 1 for the boys), and soon enough I was grilling. By that time the sun was out, it had warmed to the mid-50’s, and the hot grill felt good. Nothing like grilling in January. All was well in our household:

I like my burger with lettuce, tomatoes, onions, and some brown mustard. The Missus enjoys it the same way, sans the mustard. She tells me, "I want to taste the beef". She ate a double patty (that’s about 10-12oz) burger, then went to take a nap.

Iowa Meat Farms

6041 Mission Gorge Rd
San Diego, CA 92120

Oh yes, the story! During my "College Days", during one of the many Business type classes I had to take, another student was giving a presentation. Now, this "Dude" used always tell us about working at a certain "Fast Food" joint, you know the type, he lived for working at this place, always talking about his "career path" to fast-food Manager. Yeah, whatever! For this story let’s just call this place Xxxxy’s. So he’s going over business plans, and I’m just totally spacing out, staring blankly into the distance. All I hear is; "waa-waa-waa, waa-waa,waa". So during the Q&A session following the presentation, the Instructor, who noticed how little attention I was paying to the presentation, called on me, and asked "Kirk, can you tell me, based on the information given; what is the secret to Xxxxy’s success?" Now I hadn’t heard a word! "Ummmm-ummmm…." I could feel a drop of sweat rolling down the middle of my back, my mind racing, trying to come up with something, anything. And suddenly it all became so clear! In a example of improvisational genius, I blurted out; "Yeah, yeah, yesterdays’ burger is todays’ chili!" And the whole class cracked up, even the Professor. He later told me that I’d summed up the entire 15 minute presentation in one short sentence! Oh, and I was sure that my display of "business prowess" was the reason I got an ‘A’ in the class.

*** Vien Dong Market is now Thuan Phat Supermarket. A post can be found here.

*** Updated posts on Vien Dong Market can be found here and here.

I'm sure most regular Visitors already know that we really don't care much for crowds. And that I find shopping at an unhurried pace rather "relaxing". So I usually will do my shopping at the  local Asian Supermarkets in the morning; and Vien Dong is no exception.

Though the parking lot at Vien Dong on Linda Vista Road, never seems to be very crowded, I can't really say the same about the Market. If anything, the small isles and store configuration makes it feel like Vien Dong is always packed to the rafters. So a morning shopping excursion can provide some relief from the claustrophobic experience.

When entering one of these Markets, I noticed I usually follow the same "pattern". Head to produce, either to the right or left and and walk the perimeter of the Market, before exploring the isles. Today as I entered and headed toward the produce section, I passed a fairly large display of New Years items. I believe that this year the 3 days of Tet(Vietnamese New Year) starts somewhere around January 29th. BTW, I've been told that the phrase "Cung Chuc Tan Xuan", on those bright red New Years banners mean something along the lines of,  "Many wishes for the new spring".

Oh, and I made sure to pick up some flavored melon seeds, the Missus's latest obsession, as well as the important red-dyed watermelon seeds:

As with most Asian Markets, there are always a few "interesting" signs. Here's one that Sammy and Frankie may or may not like:

The produce section at Viet Dong is large and sprawling, and also quite diverse. The one thing to know is; if you ever need mint, you will almost always find it at a Vietnamese Market.

Because Viet Dong also serves the local Hispanic and Filipino community, you'll find a great variety of produce. I'll just be quiet for a few seconds and post some photos.

There used to be a Vietnamese-Chinese Fast Food stall next to the produce section; but it is now mostly gone, except for the roasted meats.

Along side the roasted meats is the requisite fresh "bread" stand. One thing I noticed is that the price of these French-style baguettes have risen. They are now 30 cents a piece; they used to be 20 cents. Also, I apologize for the blurry "bread" picture. As I was pressing the "shutter" I was blind-sided by a Little Ol' Lady whose shopping cart almost knocked me over into a crate of bittermelon.

With my pride somewhat damaged, and my shins aching, I decided to leave the produce section and head over to the meat and seafood section. At Vien Dong, the meat and seafood section occupies almost one-third of the entire store.

A section with pre-cut and packaged meats occupies the South facing wall, while the meat and seafood counter takes up the entire rear of the market. There is quite a variety of "cuts" available, everything from thin sliced rib for Pho' to "carne asada" cuts.  Also, some of the more "interesting" cuts are available. Like Beef Tendon:

You could say that Vien Dong has everything from snout to tail:

Vien Dong is a pretty good resource for those more "exotic" cuts of meat.

About this time I checked my watch, and did notice the Market getting crowded. So it was time for me to leave. Walking to check-out I passed this collection of steamers sitting on top of some deli-cases that line an entire wall. For some reason it always catches my eye:

Some Notes on Vien Dong: The "pungency" factor is not very high in the morning; in fact the smell of bread baking as you enter the store is quite enticing. The check-out counters at Vien Dong always throw me off, they are set-up "backwards". That is you place your groceries on the conveyor and walk behind the register. So for most of the transaction you are facing the back of the Cashier. I just find that a bit odd.

Vien Dong Market III
6935 Linda Vista Road
San Diego, CA 92111

Just a real quick post for New Years! I’ll be busy making Nishime(Vegetable Stew) and other dishes this evening. Then will gorge myself silly, take a short nap, watch some DVD. Around midnight, I’ll walk outside into the front yard(hopefully it won’t rain), and take my first deep breath of the New Year. I’ll then walk back in the house and have some Soba, and other stuff.

Of course I had to do some shopping this morning, and stopped by the two nearby Japanese Markets; Nijiya and Mitsuwa. I managed to snap a few quick photos of some Osechi.

Osechi are Japanese New Year "food", and most of the items are very symbolic. Usually Osechi-ryori are sold in lacquer or similar type boxes called "Jubako".

Prices can range from $25 up to over $150. And many of them will sell out by the early afternoon of New Years eve. Many off the items included in these boxes represent good health and prosperity for the New Year. Don’t know about that; I’ve had my share of Osechi-ryori, and I don’t really think I’ve gotten any more prosperous, healthy, taller, or anything else. But why take chances?

Some of the items found in these boxes are:

Kamabuko – The standard Red and White steamed fishcake.

Kuromame – Sweetened black soybeans.

Kazunoko – Herring Roe. Here’s an really great article.

Shrimp – Represents long life.

Some type of Tamago – Either Dashi-maki, or Date-maki(sweet) omelette.

And many more items. Even the Nishime that I’ll be making:

Looks a heck of alot prettier then my version for sure.

I’d like to send out our sincere wishes for a Healthy and Prosperous New Year!

If 99 Ranch Market is the center all things Chinese in Clairemont Mesa; then Seafood City is the center for all things Filipino in National City. I think I’ve been to alot of Markets recently!

After breakfast at Zarlitos this past Friday, the Missus had requested that I drop by Seafood City, and pick up some "Native Delight"????

Prima Toast is her latest obsession, I guess Haw Flakes are out! But she didn’t want just the brand she’s been buying, she wanted a "variety". And we all know, we don’t mess around with the cravings of the Missus! But all I could find was 1 other brand, so I picked that up!

I thought about picking up some Sky Flakes:

But I already had some, and they last forever if you don’t open them.

Doesn’t the "Family Pack" Longanisa look good!

Or maybe the boneless Daing (Milkfish):

Fried up, dipped into garlic and vinegar; this is one of the Missus’s favorites. Don’t forget the rice!

Actually, Seafood City has probably the busiest seafood department in San Diego. What you can do is select your fish from the counter, or the almost endless isle of fish, BTW doesn’t this guy look like he’s doing "something" in the fish isle?

Bring it to the counter, take a number, and they’ll announce the number over the loudspeaker when your fish is ready. And this place is cranking! When I entered I heard number 82, when I left about 30 minutes later, they were already on number 136! On a Friday morning no less. But the really entertaining thing is just hanging out listening to the fish guy on the microphone.

I guess it must be a pretty boring job, calling out numbers and lining up the endless red/pink bags on the counter. So the "announcer" has to keep it lively. So you’ll hear stuff like, "pretty girl, num-ber 92, pretty girl come see meeeeee", "Lo-laaa, Lo-laaa, number 105, you have dinner", "handsome, Mister handsome, number 123", or my favorite of the day; "number 85, number 85, come get it, your fish is going to swim awaaay soon"! Always cracks me up!

Seafood City does a pretty good job merchandising; you see on the way to the cashier, you always pass the Ice Cream:

Talk about needing self control! I got out with 3 packages Pamana Prima Toast, and 1 package Barrio Fiesta Prima Toast, about 7 bucks total….

If there’s one thing I’d wish for Seafood City, it would be that the Cashiers would have the levity of the guy I deem the "Seafood Announcer". I’ve never ever seen one smile. Most of the time, they stare off stonily into the distance. In fact, if there was a "stare down" between the 99 Ranch Market cashiers, and the Seafood City cashiers; Seafood City would win going away…..

Seafood City
1420 E Plaza Blvd
National City, CA 91950

*** Some additional posts on 99 Ranch Market can be found here and here. And one silly post on "Chinese Spaghetti Sauce" can be found here.  

I know what you're thinking. How can a trip to Ranch 99 Market, that crazy, hectic, center for all things Chinese, supermarket, be relaxing?

I mean, if you're like us at all, you view your trip to 99 Ranch Market with some trepidation. Too crowded, lousy parking lot, small isles, cashiers that are burnt out, and basically dealing with a mass of humanity that's doing the same thing you do; get in, get what you need, and get the heck out of dodge, ASAP!

But when I'm able to, I get to 99 Ranch Market when the parking lot looks like this:

What I do on weekends is do my shopping at about 845 in the morning(there's another reason, keep reading the post). It's not opening time which is 8am, after all, you never want to be first in line and appear too anxious, right!

When the market is at this somewhat "empty" state, the walk to the produce department can seem to be oh, so far away……

What you hit first are the fruits, especially the "special" fruits, as in what's in season, what's popular, or what's on sale. Any any given day it could be Lychee, Jujube, Persimmons, Sugar Plums, or in this case, Longan:

99 Ranch Market also stocks some really great and interesting vegetables, like this one:

This is "Stem Lettuce" also known as Celtuce, Asparagus Lettuce, Celery Lettuce, Woo Ju, or Woo Chu. I'd seen this for many years, but never knew what to do with it. Until one night we were watching an old Chinese Movie called the Girl from Hunan. In that film, the characters are munching on this through the whole movie. Well my Father In Law is from Hunan, so on his next trip out, I asked him how to cook this. In short, peeled and sliced Stem Lettuce is great in stir fried dishes with smoked meats, makes sense, since smoked meats are one of the food items Hunan is known for. So stir fried with some garlic, soy sauce, green&red bell peppers, onions, and a smoked pork, chicken, or my favorite, duck, really brings out the celery-like taste. And if not over cooked the texture will be like a softer water chestnut. Stem Lettuce is also used in soups, though I've never tried using it in any of my soups.

The meat department is large and comprehensive. This is also where I usually get the "pork butt/shoulder" for my Kalua Pork:

But what many people come to 99 Ranch Market for is the full service Seafood/fish department, and at 9am in the morning, you have it all to yourself, especially if you want them to do any of this to your fish:

I like the signage at 99 Ranch Market. For some reason they make me laugh. Check out the one over the boxes of very live crab, I guess somebody has actually grabbed those by hand?

About this time, I'm finding that I'm really relaxed, and am kind of enjoying myself; at 99 Ranch Market no less! And just then I pass the bakery, and all the smells of the fresh bread:

Maybe some taro cake, or red bean cake in my future? No, not today. There used to be a shaved ice snack bar within the market, but it's been turned into a "deli" case with prepared cold dishes:

There's a pretty large selection on display, in fact it could almost be dizzying! The "smoked fish" (Su Shih Hsun Yuu ), looked especially enticing; but I'd already gotten what I needed, and made my way to the cashier, who although yawning and looking very sleepy, rang me up, and I was on my way…well almost. You see on my way out I saw this:

And I swear, the duck was actually calling my name…..in a very Stephen King-ish way:

You see Sam Woo opens at 9am, how convenient…..so I got a half duck($6.75). As I waited for my duck to be chopped, I heard something else calling my name:

Luckily, I ignored the call. Paid for my duck and was on my way.

So who needs meditation, visualization, and all those other relaxation techniques? Just give me 99 Ranch Market early on a weekend morning……..