Markets & Grocers – Page 9

Roadtrip (During Covid-19) – Orale and Mt. Olive Organic Farm (Paso Robles)

May 31, 2021 mmm-yoso Markets & Grocers, Mexican Restaurants, Paso Robles/Cambria/San Luis Obispo County, Road Trip, Taco Shops, Travel

We slept well after our wonderful dinner at Aubergine and when we woke the next morning, the Missus was ready to go. So, we grabbed some coffee to go from our accommodation and headed out to our next stop; Paso Robles. We made pretty good time; getting into Paso Robles in a bit less than two hours. We went to the hotel to see about early check in and left my mobile number for them to contact me when our room was ready then headed into town.

There was a craft fair going on when we arrived downtown that was pretty sparsely attended. There was quite a bit of street parking available, even though it was a Saturday (at the beginning of November 2020).

The Missus just loved the area around the Downtown City Park, spending a good amount of time at the General Store….we also bought some cookies for Frankie's favorite Auntie at the Brown Butter Cookie Company. If you've read some of our earlier posts, you know that the Missus just loves Olive Oil. So we ended up spending some time at the Pasolivo Olive Oil Tasting Room. The woman there was so knowledgeable and we ended up purchasing two bottles ($40 each!). The Missus really enjoys the olive oil from Pasolivo.

Pasolivo Olive Oil
1229 Park St.
Paso Robles, CA 93446

There also seems to be a pretty active arts and crafts scene in Paso Robles; we spent some time in the Studios on the Park.

As we left the shop, the Missus mentioned being a little hungry, it was around 1030, so I searched around for something to eat. We didn't want anything too heavy and on the way back to the car we picked out Orale, a Taco Shop.

There was both a parklet and patio seating available, there were folks eating in the parklet, so the Missus and I decided on the patio.

I ordered two Al Pastor Tacos ( 2 "street tacos" with beans and rice $11) and the Missus decided on the Veggie Tacos with Beans and Rice ($11). I was surprised that our order came with chips and salsa.

The chips were nice and crisp, the salsas standard issue, but no complaints here.

Of the tacos; the Missus' choice was better. I was pretty surprised……

The pasilla peppers, onions, and black beans made for a nice combo. The zucchini was basically filler, but there was a nice mild smokiness to this and the queso fresco added a mild milkly-acidity to the tacos. The tacos were served with double corn tortillas, standard issue, but it held up well. Speaking of standard issue, the beans and rice defined that to a "t". The Al Pastor was nicely charred, but mushy in texture and lacking in enough sweetness-tanginess-salt-smokiness. As a matter of fact; I really enjoyed the nicely charred onions and cilantro more.

Still, this was enough for lunch, and we weren't stuffed which was good since our room wasn't ready yet.

Órale Taqueria
834 11th St.
Paso Robles, CA 93446

I hadn't received a call that our room was ready as we returned to our car. The Missus didn't feel like doing a wine tasting, so I had to figure something else out. I checked my "list" and found that since it was Saturday, the Mt. Olive Organic Farm Store was open. So, we headed on out of the town, past several wineries and found the shop.

It was such a charming place with goats and alpacas hanging out in a pen in back of the building.

We got a kick watching them hanging out.

We did some shopping, the young lady working was very sweet. Along with produce, dried fruits, there were a nice variety of items…..including olive oil, which we ended up purchasing.

We really enjoyed this stop. Just as we were paying for our olive oil, my phone went off and I received a text from our hotel, letting me know our room was ready. Perfect timing.

Mt. Olive Organic Farm
3445 Adelaida Rd.
Paso Robles, CA 93446

We headed back into town and really enjoyed the scenery along the way. It sure is beautiful here.

We made it to the hotel, got to our room with enough time to take a short nap before having head out for our evening reservations for a Sensorio.

There was something about Paso Robles which we really enjoyed, the pace, the friendly people, the vibe. It was too bad that we would have only one evening in the town.

Ramona Family Naturals Market- lunch

May 23, 2021 Cathy Markets & Grocers, Sandwiches, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso!!! is the name of this food blog. Kirk has been doing most of the posting this year and is taking a break. Cathy is able to help out with some posts.

Long story short: after my most recent post (in January), there was an incident involving Urgent Care and Orthopedics. The Mister turned into my chauffeur, took his responsibilities seriously and while waiting for me to return from meeting a client, used his (new) phone to do 'searches' for 'food' and when the pin dropped, he would then research menus. That's how we found Ramona Family Naturals. In 2009, Ramona Family Naturals was an online shop which eventually became a Brick and Mortar storefront. Organic and natural foods, beverages and produce are sold within the market. In the far corner is a small deli, which makes food to order. Tables and chairs are outdoors, in front.
As you can see, we ordered a grilled turkey melt ($12.99) and a chicken tortilla soup ($5) to share.
The meal was brought outside to our table (we paid at the cash register and also purchased a bottled beverage). {There is a coffee area inside the entrance (to the right) which also sells smoothies and fruit bowls}.
Delving deeper into the soup bowl- wow! Plenty of chicken, organic veggies and a rich broth. Would definitely buy this again.
The turkey sandwich- on 21 grain organic bread (really good) was layered with turkey, tomato and avocado, as well as hickory bacon, grilled onions, Havarti cheese and honey mustard. The best sandwich we have had in a long time.

Excellent, quality, local. Very happy The Mister discovered this gem.

Ramona Family Naturals Market 325 Sixth Street Ramona CA 92065 (760) 787-5987 Website

From Winter to Summer in a Week! Revisits to Menya Ultra and The Market At HFS

January 17, 2021 mmm-yoso Japanese Restaurants, Markets & Grocers, Poke, Ramen

Well, so far the first couple of weeks of the New Year has been quite hectic….not only work, but sadly, Frankie had a seizure on New Year's Day. He's doing fine now, eating, drinking, pooping….going on walks. He's been blind for a while and has dementia, but hanging in there. We've set-up sort of a "senior living" area for him, with an indoor/outdoor rug, several beds, indoor dog gates, and one of those indoor wifi cams with pet motioned detector, and such. He's doing as well as possible considering the circumstances.

And like I said, we take a couple of walks during each day and I'm surprised that there are places within two blocks of home that I had never discovered before.

And then of course; there's been the weather! From the mid-40's around New Year to record breaking highs in the 80's this past week.

Our eating definitely reflects that.

We started with our usual takeout from Menya, during the first week of January with temps dipping into the high 40's and low 50's; adding in a "ahem" snack for me, some Negipon; which the Missus also enjoyed.

I've gone thru "my drill" with the stay at home kit before; so I won't beat that dead horse. I will say that I used the leftover noodles to make a nice Japanese curry noodles for one of my lunches.

Menya Ultra Ramen
8199 Clairemont Mesa Blvd
San Diego, CA 92111
858-571-2010
Current Hours:
Mon – Thurs 1030am – 2pm, 4pm – 8pm
Fri – Sun 1030am – 8pm

And then this past week happened….man, I don't recall having the mercury hit the mid-80's where we live in January. So the Missus was wanted Her "fix" from HFS.

I had to work a couple of hours during the weekend anyway and then headed off at around 935, getting to HFS right before 10…..and there were already 3 parties ahead of me in line!

Regardless, things went quite quickly. I hadn't been here since winter hit…..now HFS has two registers and things go a bit faster.

The Missus got Her fix….though one of these days I'll go through "the drill"….as the Missus has Her poke "done" a certain way.

In my opinion, still the closest I can get to "home". Though "FOY" ChrisR, who is from Hilo told me things can be slim pickins' around closing time at HFS……which makes sense; we wouldn't go to our poke places near closing as all you going get is da leftova's….

Anyway, we're hoping you're hanging in there. My true hope is that we're seeing the light at the end of the tunnel.

The Market At HFS
6491 Weathers Place
San Diego, CA 92121
(858) 282-0591
Current Hours:
Daily 10am – 4pm

Take care and be safe!

Ol’ Rodeo’s Meat Market and Yogurt Mill (El Cajon) again, but it’s COVID-19

January 6, 2021 Cathy Desserts, Markets & Grocers, What Cathy Eats!

Thanks for stopping by to read mmm-yoso!!!, a food blog trying to share a bit of 'normal' during these decidedly abnormal times. Cathy is writing today while Kirk enjoys His job.

I wrote about our favorite 'secret' place for great food with great dessert back when times were simpler, all the way back in August of 2019.

The small, conveniently located market has been in El Cajon for at least ten years. The Mister and I purchase warm tortillas and carne asada as well as other meats from the butcher shop counter, while ordering from the in store taqueria. Way back when 'eating in' was allowed (October?November?) The Mister and I woke up talking about craving the birria. The meal is now $8.99 and was brought to one of the properly spaced in-store tables. The birria is either beef or mutton (depending on the day) and is a deep flavored, long simmered (at least three hours) wonderful stew. There are ancho as well as guajillo peppers, garlic, oregano and a wonderful mix of herbs and spices.
We have been ordering birria "To Go" and the packaging is nice. The broth is kept separate from the meat and the serving size is the same or larger as the in-store plating.
We usually order one taco ($2.50), so that the other person has something to eat while the other is enjoying the stew. Our favorite here is the adobada (marinated pork).
Although the carnitas is quite nice.

Eating local; an easy resolution.

Ol' Rodeo's Meat Market 927 Broadway El Cajon 92021 (619) 401-7351

Right next door is The Yogurt Mill. (That is Ol' Rodeo to the right in this photo)
Family run now in its 43rd year. Just frozen yogurt and a variety of toppings. Five of the flavors change daily (including one non-dairy and one non-sugar), five remain the same (chocolate, vanilla, strawberry, coconut and peanut butter). The "Baby" size ($3.60) is enough for sharing.

Flavors shown here are tart peach and pistachio; peanut butter and coffee (not photogenic, but tasty); strawberry and coconut.

Always a nice ending to a good meal.

Yogurt Mill 935 Broadway El Cajon 92021 Open daily 11-9

Monday Meanderings – Sushi Hachi by Kimura Opening Dec 6th, Harland Brewing Coming to Morena, and Stehly Farms Morena is Closed

November 30, 2020 mmm-yoso Beer, Japanese Restaurants, Markets & Grocers, Vietnamese Restaurants

Funny, when it rains it pours; over the last week here are "stuffs" I saw while running errands and such.

Sushi Hachi by Kimura Opening Dec 6th:

While checking out Izakaya Sakura on Black Friday (they were closed), I noticed that Swab, ummmm Shabu World was being replaced by something called Sushi Hachi by Kimura.

I stopped and walked over. The sign said "Opening Soon" and taking a look at the menu gave me the impression that this is kind of fusiony sushi; with everything from Aburi Sushi, to various rolls, to nigiri….stuff like yuzu ceviche, truffle salmon carpaccio, tuna guacamole rolls, crispy rice……kinda interesting in a way.

And so, like I always say; "Google is my friend". I went ahead and did a quick Google search yesterday and found that Sushi Hachi is opening on December 6th. There's also a bio on Shuji Kimura, who owned and operated the SushiStop chain in LA. I'm guessing he probably sold the chain….you should look at SushiStop's menu….it looks reaaally familiar. Anyway, it seems that this is a family project that he's opening with his wife and three children.

3904 Convoy St #117
San Diego, CA 92111

Harland Brewing Coming to Morena:

I was actually told this by some friends and so I stopped by to take a look.

And yes, that's what the ABC notice says. This is in the fairly large spot that Benchmark Brewing was in for a hot second.

4112 Napier St
San Diego, CA 92110

Stehly Farms Morena is Closed:

On a recent visit to Zgara Greek Grill, I peered over and saw the "Available for Leas" sign in the window of the space Stehly Farms Market used to occupy.

Bummer….I wasn't a regular, but I'd drop by every now and then when I wanted or needed some good quality produce. Sad to see them go.

1231 Morena Boulevard
San Diego, CA 92110

I'm hoping everyone is safe. Things are getting a bit hairy out there, please take care, be considerate, it's times like these where our caring, compassion, and humanity should come thru. I pretty much keep the Missus and my work and non-trip/food related items separate from this blog. And I'm thinking you might wonder why I try to "gently" remind folks to be safe and take reasonable care.

Well, to not give away too much; both the Missus and I have skin in the game. I've been in healthcare since 1984 and the Missus is on the frontlines of this. I keep that photo of the Missus on my phone, as one of my Zoom backgrounds, as a screen saver, it is never far from my mind and my heart.

The last thing I would want is for this insidious virus to harm her or you.

So please, stay safe!

Grocery Market Steam Tray meals: Carnival, Sam Woo BBQ and Valley Foods

November 13, 2020 Cathy Markets & Grocers, What Cathy Eats!

Thanks for stopping to read mmm-yoso!!!, a long running San Diego food blog. Cathy is writing today while Kirk catches up with things.

At midnight, San Diego County is going back into the most strict lockdown phase (the purple tier, again). (This time for at least three weeks). Restaurants cannot be 'eat in'. (Only outdoor dining will be allowed).

The Mister and I have learned a lot during 2020. We have been cooking and baking more at home (another post) and initially would grab and go takeout from places that sort of specialize in take out items (Taco Shops; we have been to a lot of taco shops). I made a New Year Resolution more than 15 years ago that I would not use "drive through" windows anywhere and have stuck to that resolution to this day. This resolution, which was meant to force me to park and walk inside businesses, has limited some access to food.

Anyhow, we also discovered a lot of restaurant food does not travel well and just doesn't taste the same at our table on our plates. What we did realize is that grocery store Steam Tray food items DO travel well and make a good meal when we don't feel like cooking.

I wrote a post in 2012 about eating in at Carnival Market an we have had many meals to go from here over the years. The eat in area has been closed to the public since March. There is a good choice of meals and snacks in the steam tray area: fried and roasted chicken, many taco meats, various stews and fried fish. In particular, the fried whole fish plate (tilapia, rice, beans, tortillas ($7)) is a regular choice. There are a few daily choices of stews, sold by the pound (for an additional $2, you get tortillas, rice, beans, cilantro and onion). The nice workers fill the container with meat, weigh and price it, then fill the rest with the juice. This is beef birria (mutton is sometimes available).

Carnival Supermarket 3560 Ashford Street San Diego 92111 (858) 277-1505 (Currently opens at 8 a.m. daily)

I have written about eating in at Sam Woo, but not about the hundreds of quick meals we purchase at the Steam Tray area when first walking in. Apparently I don't take many photos, either. Choices of one, two and three items with rice or noodle usually has us ordering one all vegetable (eggplant) and a meat/vegetable choice. Less than $7 and more than enough food to share.
Except that we pretty much also ask for 1/2 pound of the BBQ pork or duck, because it is irresistible.

Sam Woo BBQ To Go 7330 Clairemont Mesa Blvd Ste 103 San Diego, CA 92111 (across the hall form 99Ranch Market) (currently opens at 9 a.m. daily)

In East County, Valley Foods Mediterranean Market has been around for more than ten years. The steam trays and grab and go areas have a great selection of choices. Some things have changed.

Now, if you would like a masgouf prepared fish, walk over to the fish counter and pick one out. (currently, preparation including the fish is $3.99/pound) and the fish will be carried over to the steam try counter and you'll be asked if you want 'everything' (you do). This fish was over three pounds ($14.33)(that's a regular size fork) and was two meals plus snacks for The Mister and myself. There are roasted tomatoes and onion in the pan. (Fun story about masgouf (the downfall of Saddam Hussein)).
The fish is coated with oil and za'atar, a spice blend with thyme, oregano, savory and sumac as well as sesame seeds. In the refrigerated area, we usually buy some baba ganoosh or hummus, the home made (cream top) yogurt and tabbouleh. There is an area next to the cash register with 'pizza', but really these are flatbreads, one topped with cheese, the other with za'atar ($1.50 each) Next to the seafood counter, you'll see an open door (into the baking area) with signage above the door. Breads made in stone ovens ($1.50 white, $1.75 wheat and $2 sesame topped). I usually ask for the sesame topped bread and it's made fresh and handed to me in a paper bag, very hot.

One day I was alone shopping and decided on something light. Beef or chicken kabob ($1.50 each). These are beef. It is all I ordered. I paid $3 plus tax. Look at all the condiments! Roasted tomato and onion, raw onion, pickles, pickled cabbage. What a substantial meal.

Valley Foods 1275 East Main Street El Cajon 92021 (619) 749-8355 Website

There are many choices for prepared foods in this time of COVID-19.

Sunday Stuffs – Ghost Pepper Wings from Popeyes, the “Weekender” from Bird Rock Coffee, Harvest Market (Balboa) is Closed, and Stuffs from D’Artagnan

October 4, 2020 mmm-yoso Caffeine Fix, Chains, Chicken Wings, Markets & Grocers

Here are a couple more odds and ends for yet another day where it seems like the wheels on the year 2020 are coming off…….

Ghost Pepper Wings from Popeyes:

I had a few folks ask me about the ghost pepper wings from Popeyes, I guess since even though we haven't grown anything in a couple of years, I'm kinda fond of making stuffs out of ghost peppers. So, Bob and "ST", here goes.

Frankly, even though Popeyes was once upon a time a "guilty pleasure"; it seemed like the quality (and the size) of the chicken started diminishing over the years. Finally, I just tired of it all and I hadn't been to a location of Popeyes in at least 10 years! So, when folks started asking me what I thought about the "ghost pepper wings"…..well, I wasn't sure. So, on a day where I had some time; I decided to try them out…..just to kinda see. I was surprised at the price; though they really push combos; you can get 6 pieces of wings only (they did include a biscuit) for $4.99. Just make sure to bust out that magnifying glass…..as you can see on the right, the drumette was basically the size of a soy sauce packet.

The batter on the wings were really crunchy…in fact it was mostly batter, very little meat, and quite dry……I know I always say that those jumbo sized wings really mess up skin to meat ratio; but microscopic wings that are mostly batter screw up the ratio as well.

As for the spice? Well, this ain't no Quaker Steak and Lube Triple Atomic Wings that's for sure. In fact, this barely registered in the heat department for me…..it was mostly salty, with a hint of spice, lacking in the fruity-fieriness that is the hallmark of good Ghost Peppers. Pass……

Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen
Locations throughout San Diego

The "Weekend" from Bird Rock Coffee:

I had started ordering several cups of cold brew from Bird Rock on Morena, with no ice, a few times a week.

When the really friendly guy working there; the one whose been there for quite a while asked me what was up; I told him that we usually can't finish a whole coldbrew in one sitting so by having it with no ice; we'd just store it in the fridge. This is when he recommended getting something they call the "Weekender"; think of it as a growler of sorts. They cost $20 for 64 ounces so you basically get 5 1/3 portions for the price of less than 4. It's a good deal for us. We've been going thru about 1 every other week; though I'll still drop by in between those visits to get the Missus Her pour over fix. Though in this hot weather; we've been mostly sticking with coldbrew. I am a bit worried about all this plastic; so we're trying to find ways to reuse these when possible.

And I recommended Zgara to the guy…I believe his wife's family is from Greece as payback.

Bird Rock Coffee Roasters
1270 Morena Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92110

Harvest Market on Balboa is Closed:

I had some merguez in my latest order from D'Artagnan and the Missus was eager to have me sauté them with lemon and wanted some pickled veggies, garlic paste, and flatbread from Harvest Market. So we jumped in the car and took the quick drive over and were rather shocked to find them closed:

That "closed due to Coronavirus" sign was really worrisome.

I asked around a bit and one of sources who works with the local government told me that he understands that Harvest Market has probably closed permanently due to lack of business, not an infection. This is quite tragic and I hope they decide to reopen.

Harvest International Market – Balboa
4220 Balboa Ave
San Diego, CA 92117

And Speaking of D'Artagnan:

I recently realized that I'd placed my third rather large order from D'Artagnan. It seems that several items have become household staples. I recall mentioning the duck prosciutto in my Ume Dressing post….but we've been enjoying the charcuterie/pates/etc during the recent heatwaves that have swept through San Diego over the last couple of months.

There's always one king of promotion; though I always look for the free shipping deals. Things are packed well and everything arrives chilled.

So far, our staples are the Duck Prosciutto, Duck Rillettes (the Missus loves making a hash with duck fat potatoes/eggs/rillette) which freeze well.

We've enjoyed the Wild Boar Saucisson Sec and will probably order the duck version next time as well.

The Torchon of Foie Gras and the Mousses of Foie Gras are favorites and I enjoy the Pâté de Campagne.

Not a big fan of the Medallions of Foie Gras and Truffle; the texture is very crumbly and the overall flavor is a bit too much; even for us.

We also didn't care much for some of the pates as well.

And of course, we do need a "bit of cheese" to balance things out, right?

Which we get from Venissimo after all; we need to support local as well, right?

It's easy enough to Google D'Artagnan. I don't do sponsors, freebies, and such and really don't want to be bothered with non-edible Spam, so I won't do a link. I'm sure you can find them easily. When ordering; you may want to set a farther out delivery date to save on shipping; if you're not getting it free.

Anyway, I just kinda always wanted to start a post with Chicken Wings and end with Foie Gras….so, at least that wish has come true!

Hope everyone has a safe and productive week!

Munich – The Asamkirche, St Michael’s Church, and a Caffiene Break at Dallmayr Delikatessenhaus

September 19, 2020 mmm-yoso Caffeine Fix, Germany, Markets & Grocers, Munich, Travel

**** Not much food in this one as I'm trying to go through my backlog of travel posts.

After visiting the Viktualienmarkt and finishing up my "sir…please no not say Spam….please…… we continued meandering along.

This very modern looking structure is the Ohel Jakob Synagogue. I read that this area, around Sankt-Jakobs-Platz was where the original Synagogue stood; which was destroyed by Hitler in 1938.

On this day; it was a nice peaceful place; close to busy streets and businesses.

There are things that aren't in the guidebooks that you come across when you do the "Flânerie" thing; like these interesting colored tiles.

Sometimes they remain a mystery until I'm able to do a bit of research after getting back home. But this one had a sign in English.

This is the "Monument to the Gays and Lesbians Persecuted under the Nazi Regime". There wasn't much I could find in English; but you might find this article of interest.

A few blocks down Sendlinger Strasse; a busy shopping street was our next stop; the Asam Church (Asamkirche). Also known as Church of St. Johann Nepomuk; this 30 foot wide church was created in the Baroque style by two brothers, sculptor Egid Quirin Asam and painter Cosmas Damian Asam as a private church….so basically, they could really go for it. And I've read that the church could act as a showroom of sorts for the brothers.

So, basically every inch of this chapel is decorated.

In fact, if you do travel to Munich; get Rick Steves guide to Munich and Salzburg, the part on the Asam Church s highly entertaining and a hoot. Mentioning that this private pale of worship served as a "promotional brochure to woo clients, and is packed with every architectural trick in the books."

From the ceiling art….which is created in such a way to make it seem like a domed ceiling to the golden gilded grim reaper snipping off the thread of life…..there's quite a bit packed into one fairly tight Barogue space.

I had read that it was never the intention of the brothers to make the church public; but pressure from local citizens forced the family to allow for public access.

Whatever the intentions and backstory, the Asam Church was a fun short visit for us.

Like I mentioned earlier in the post; Sendlinger Strasse, the street the church is located on is quite a popular shopping area. The Missus enjoyed window shopping as we headed down the street. As always, half the fun is people watching.

I wish things were like Paris and there was a outdoor café handy; it would have been fun having a coffee and just sitting down to watch folks (and their pets) walk by.

We turned a corner and headed up Eisenmannstrasse and found ourselves in front of the impressive St. Michael's Church; with its distinctive façade featuring statues of the House of Wittelsbach; which ruled Bavaria from 1198 until 1918! The church is also considered to be the largest Renaissance church north of the Alps. The church itself was created by the Jesuits as part of the "Counter-Reformation" to counter the Protestant Reformation in 1583.

The Altar stands three stories high.

The crypt down the stairs contains the tombs of the Wittelbach. For us; the item that really stood out was the huge Monument to Eugène de Beauharnais who is also interred in the crypt of the church.

After visiting St Michael's we decided to find a café and grab a caffeine fix. I had a place in mind and along the way was the impressive Frauenkirche, which is the location of the Archdiocese of Munich.

It quite amazing that this Gothic inspired church was built in only 22 years – from 1466 – 1488.

Much of the church was destroyed during World War II, the towers survived and the church was rebuilt around that.

What really got our attention was the monument of Ludwig IV as you enter the church.

There's also the Der Teufelstritt (The Devil's Footprint); my photo unfortunately didn't come out…..hmmm……

There's also this relic of Pius X in the cathedral.

As for our caffeine fix; I decided on a place I thought the Missus, who really enjoyed the cafe's in Vienna, might like. Established in 1700, Dallmayr Delicatessen seemed like a place we might like. The "Stammhaus"; the original store is huge, has three entrances, consists of 19 departments, and we were greeted by a fountain…nothing strange about that, right? Except this one had live cray fish in it…..

Though we were tempted by the many offerings…….Dallmayr was given the title of "Royal Bavarian Court Supplier" in 1900 and it's easy to see why.

We headed upstairs to the Café-Bistro Dallmayr.

While the possibility of Lobster Thermidor (a "light lunch"?) seemed interesting; I was still full of Spam Leberkäse, we decided to just get some coffee. The Missus got the French Press which came with the old fashion hours glass timer; very quaint.

I just needed a picker-upper and got a double espresso.

Which was just what I needed.

After finishing up; we spent a bit of time downstairs and the Missus got some gifts for friends back home.

And then we headed out; there were still a couple of other places the Missus wanted to see.

Dallmayr Delikatessenhaus
Dienerstrasse 14-15
München, Germany

Thankful for a nice little break and bolstered by our coffees we headed back out.

As we walked through Marienplatz for the umpteenth time, I was happy to have had a double espresso.

We still had a few sights the Missus had on Her "list"

Well, we're almost at 950 words now…….so, I'll continue on in a future post.

Thanks as always for stopping by!

New to the Rotation (You can probably guess) – The Market At HFS and Zgara Grill

September 10, 2020 mmm-yoso Greek Food, Markets & Grocers, Poke, Seafood

Yes, you can probably guess which places are now on our "rotation". And, I'm pretty sure after this pandemic is over these two places will still be frequently visited by us that I didn't even write "Pandemic Rotation" in the title.

I'm sure you already read my initial posts on HFS and Zgara as those two posts probably had the most comments I've seen in a while.

Anyway, here goes:

Hawaiian Fresh Seafood Fish Market:

**** HFS has moved their retail location and is now HFS at Centerpark Labs

Geeez, the Missus has me going at least twice a week, sometimes three times, you can tell She's been missing "home". Here are a couple of things I've noticed.

1 – There's more variety on the weekends.

On Saturday, they have two lines for poke. And, there's often something different on offer; like on this particular weekend.

Yes, it's the "Pretty Much Just Ahi"…….just seasoned with salt, sesame seeds, green onions. The quality of this fish was quite good.

The Missus added a bit of shoyu and wasabi to Hers……I didn't need anything.

On one weekend there was bluefin shoyu poke…..that was ono!

The item I've seen every weekend was the Hawaiian Ahi. It has a bit of limu in it, not much, but enough for you to get a taste.

2 – Of course weekends are also kinda busy.

I usually get to HFS right before they open and have noticed over the last couple of weekends, there's a line to get in before they open. It's getting longer every week.

I guess word is getting out.

3 – Don't forget to get Da' Card.

HFS has a card that will earn you a stamp for every $10 purchase.

After 10 stamps; you get a free medium poke bowl.

Sad thing is; that you gotta be ova' the increment of $10…….if you spend $29.99, you only get two stamps. Oh well.

Still, that's my third full card ready to go.

4 – Speaking of Medium Poke Bowls…..

If you're not going to eat the bowl right away – get them to split it for you. They'll separate the rice from the fish.

There's no way I can finish all that rice. In fact, the Missus and I will split the rice, so this works out perfect……only thing is, She is making me order brown rice now!

Also, this is a nice way to try smaller portions of other "stuffs" like the tako or albacore….the sesame albacore isn't bad and once they had kimchi tako that was pretty good as well.

So there you go…..I know I missed something, but heck, that just means I can do another post, right?

Hawaiian Fresh Seafood Fish Market
6491 Weathers Place
San Diego, CA 92121
(858) 282-0591
Covid-19 Hours:
Daily 10am – 4pm

Zgara Greek Grill:

Right now, since they've reopened on Morena, Zgara has been a twice weekly stop for me. I know I'll eventually try some of the other stuffs on the menu….but the pork gyros was already my favorite from their days in PB. And upon walking into the shop, I'm fixated on that beautiful rotating pile of pork.

So, I'm sticking with that for now…..

I'll let you folks tell me what else is good on the menu…..

Not much else to say. And while I've heard that "ChrisW" said I had a moment of "uncontrollable incontinence" (my translation) when confronted with my pork gyro; to be perfectly clear, I didn't. Though it did get mighty close there. I'm not quite that old yet.

Still, his might be well worth peeing in my pants for…..

I spoke to the owner on my last visit since I've seen him there every day. He told me that finding someone who can make his food the "right way" is difficult to find; so he's working everyday for now. A definite win for us, but I hope he doesn't burn out.

I had a "FOY" who asks to remain anonymous send me this screen shot a few weeks back (thanks!) – from back in 2015! I had forgotten all about it. It still holds true today:

Hmmmm…….I think I know what's for dinner.

Zgara Greek Grill
1229 Morena Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92110
Hours:
Sun – Thurs 11am – 9pm
Fri – Sat 11am – 10pm

So, there you go….I think you'll be free of more posts from HFS and Zgara for a while……I've just kinda stopped taking photos since I've been going to both places so often.

Hope everyone is keeping safe and in good health!

The Market At HFS (Hawaiian Fresh Seafood) – Finally, Some Decent Poke!

August 5, 2020 mmm-yoso Markets & Grocers, Poke, Seafood

**** HFS has moved their retail location and is now HFS at Centerpark Labs

I'm not quite sure how I heard about Hawaiian Fresh Seafood…..having combed thru my emails, I'm thinking it was via the "coconut wireless". Anyway, I decided to head on over to a business park in Sorrento Valley, off of Mira Mesa Boulevard, to this Seafood Wholesaler's retail market; a la Catalina Offshore.

This is one of those places that you probably wouldn't stumble across. There is a small outdoor dining area and on the side of the building you'll find the retail entrance.

And from here you just follow the signs to the retail area.

I recall being told that during these times; and I'm referring to Covid-19, the Seafood Market operation will sometimes run out of product. So, I made it a point to get there just right after they open at 10am. And wouldn't you know it; there was already four people ahead of me at different stages of being served.

I'm not sure what the Hawaii connection is with this company; I read that they have their own fishing fleet. And guess what? The really nice young man taking care of me is from Ewa Beach! As I spoke, he immediately asked me where I was from…… He is currently going to college here in San Diego.

I took a look at what was offered….it's kinda obvious that I wasn't going to be getting any salmon…..I was, after all, missing "home" and was to get something with Ahi.

So, I got the two scoops poke for $12.99. It's so simple; just like our favorite places back home, this ain't no "chi-poke" shop. It's just poke and rice. I got the Shoyu Ahi and the California Ahi.

First thing I noticed was the quality of the fish; no "sugi" (connective tissue), the fish had the perfect, slight buttery-meatiness to it. The Shoyu Ahi had been nicely seasoned, not overdone, but well coated, not overly salty; the texture as quite good. There was a bit too much mayo on the California Ahi for me; and just a bit too much "stuff". But man, the texture of the fish is what got me. Let's not get too overblown with this….this isn't as good as our favorites back home; but it's good enough to be at what I call "good supermarket" level for the islands.

To put it frankly; this makes the stuff at the place that claims to be "1-1/2" to be closer to "1/3"…….you know the word "one" and the word that sounds very much like "third".

I decided to return the next day and hit the place up on my way back home to check on Frankie to grab some poke for the Missus. She's been kind of bummed that we can't travel and especially aren't really able to go back home to visit Her parents. Spending our entire time (14 days) in quarantine would just not do it for us.

This time I even took notice of the fresh fish available……that premium grade ahi looked pretty good.

I ended up getting four 1/2 pound portions for us to sample.

Clockwise from the top – Kilauea Volcano Ahi, Spicy Ahi, Spicy Cilantro, and Shoyu Ahi.

Of course, the hands down favorite was the Shoyu Ahi. Even though it was "less dressed" than before, we just loved the meaty-tender Ahi, no off flavors…….I looked on that "four lettered" site and someone complained that the Poke only had soy sauce flavor to it….well, duh…..

The "Volcano" was quite spicy, fish was good, in fact, it was good quality across the board.

Fish nicely coated, not overly salty.

Both Spicy Ahi Poke had a bit too much mayo for my taste. I'm not the biggest fan of this style, but the Missus enjoys it, and of course has "trained me well" in making the stuff.

In the end; it's all about the fish for me and this place has delivered on both my visits. And I've been told that they sometimes have Ahi Limu, which I'm hoping is true. For now, I'll be happy with getting the Shoyu Ahi Poke…..which, for me, an ex-pat Kama'aina who isn't able to have a fruitful visit "back home" right now, means the world.

Hawaiian Fresh Seafood Fish Market
6491 Weathers Place
San Diego, CA 92121
(858) 282-0591
Covid-19 Hours:
Daily 10am – 4pm