Mexican Restaurants – Page 11

Sunday “Stuffs” – Lalo’s Closes, JJ Chicken Coming to Towne Center, Taco Stand on Convoy, Nijiya’s Hokkaido Festival, and Other “Stuffs”

September 19, 2021 mmm-yoso Cheese, Markets & Grocers, Mexican Restaurants, Taco Shops, yoso-silly

Here's some odds and ends for a nice Sunday.

Lalo's Tacos Al Pastor Closes:

I noticed that Lalo's had closed when I recently had to drop by Penzy's. I have to say I was a bit surprised since they've been in this spot since we moved to San Diego over 20 years ago. I was never a big fan; but folks I worked with when my office was in Hillcrest enjoyed Lalo's.

I guess maybe the pandemic did them in.

1266 University Ave
San Diego, CA 92103

JJ Chicken Coming to To Renaissance Towne Centre:

Well, at least that's what the sign says.

Since I'm back in the office I dropped by one of my usual stops in this strip mall to see how they were doing (they were quite busy). And noticed the sign in the photo to the right in the window of what I think used to be Edo Sushi?

Doing some quick searches, I wasn't able to find much. Perhaps the next time I stop by they'll be more info…..

8895 Towne Centre Dr.
San Diego, CA 92122

Work on the Taco Stand on Convoy:

Driving down Convoy, headed to Nijiya this past morning, I noticed work on the Taco Stand was going on (read more about it on Eater). So, I took a quick drive into the parking lot from hell….which thankfully was quite empty at 850 on a Saturday morning.

According to the post on Eater, they were "Slated to open in early 2021"……..but of course with the pandemic, difficulty in finding staff, etc, etc, etc….

4646 Convoy St.
San Diego, CA 92111

The Hokkaido Fair at Nijiya – Until 09/22:

I dropped by Nijiya last Friday on my way home from work and was amazed at how busy they were! I waited over 20 minutes in line to get to the cashier, who happened to be a young lady that also works at Bay Park Coffee. I mentioned how busy they were and she told me it was because of the Hokkaido Fair……Hokkaido Fair? How the heck did I miss that memo?

Anyway, I went home and mentioned this to the Missus and guess what? Well, we headed back down to Nijiya later that evening. Luckily; even though the parking lot was packed, Nijiya wasn't overly busy. Even though there seemed to be less items then I recalled from previous "fairs" we had a blast. And things were selling fast!

I think that perhaps folks are missing the travel, the variety, the fun and comfort these days. I know I felt a wonderful nostalgia seeing labels and items I recalled from our trip to Hokkaido. And the Missus just enjoyed Her puddings and cheesecake….oh, and those chocolate covered strawberries so much; guess who had to head back the next morning? Which I how I noticed the construction on the Taco Stand.

Anyway, here's some of what we got.

For some strange reason; I have an affinity to Hokkaido cheese…..

Anyway, things seem to be selling fast, so head on down if anything pictured above interests you.

3860 Convoy St.
San Diego, CA 92111

And speaking of cheese – well, since I won't be riding the metro in Paris anytime soon:

Talking about the feeling of happiness and nostalgia. I had a surge of joy when I saw this at Bristol Farms.

At that point, the Missus and I decided to do charcuterie and cheese for dinner.

And since, due to the pandemic, I don't think we'll be travelling to France this year, where Epoisses is supposedly banned on public transport, this would have to do. We're really missing international travel and I guess anytime we're able to travel with our tastebuds….well, for now that will have to do.

Take care everyone; be safe, have compassion and empathy during these times!

Mike’s Red Tacos Truck

July 18, 2021 mmm-yoso Food Trucks, Mexican Restaurants, Taco Shops

**** Mike's now has a Brick and Mortar location. You can read an updated post here

I've been reading how birria has been one of the latest food "fads" over the last year or so. Of course, it isn't Birria de Chivo (goat) being mentioned, but Birria de Res, the beef version. Folks who've been reading our little blog for a while know that I really enjoy birria and over the last 7-8 years, I've found my favorite birria de res….from Fernandez Restaurant in Nestor, which has become a favorite of mine. The birria de res is so flavorful, tender, the consommé is so well seasoned that you can just squeeze in a bit of lime, add onions and cilantro and make a meal of by itself. The tortillas have been dipped in the comsomme and placed on the comal, but are always still pliable and up to the task of handling the well flavored, tender birria (must get the tacos "nervio" – topped with buttery tenson)…….you get the point, right?

The popularity of birria tacos hit home when I read about Mike's Red Tacos in Eater. You see, the food truck was going to be stationed in Bay Park! I guess birria really has hit the mainstream now. The truck was scheduled to be in the parking lot of the long running, but now closed Old Trieste restaurant on Fridays, from 4pm. My good buddy Candice was also kind enough to inform me of the opening as well since it's in my 'hood. I was working from home on the first day of business and since I normally start around 530-6 and with no late meetings, I could call "pau hana time" by 330 and headed on down to Morena. I got there at 345….and oh my…..

Man, check out that line!

In some ways it was quite heartening. It showed me that folks in the area really want more variety and (hopefully) quality.

On the other hand; it was 40 minutes in line and then the wait. Another 40 minutes later, I got my tacos. I really felt for folks as the line kept getting longer. The girl taking orders and working the register was very friendly, though of course this was "opening day" and I'm not sure they expected this kind of reception. I know I didn't.

So, two birria tacos and consomme……

So, first off; the tortillas did well, they held up to the barrage of sauce and meat juices quite well. I liked the fact that they were dunked in the "consomme"….however….

The consomme was so bland and devoid of flavor that the only leg to stand on was mouthfeel…..and at this point it just felt like I was drinking and dunking my tacos into a vat of grease. The actual beef in the tacos was a bit on the dry and stringy side….and the flavor was quite mild, though it had a bit of beefiness to it. I had hopes for some nice savory-smokey flavors. So…..this was closer to "food not too offend" then birria de res to me. I had requested salsas, but with all the customers and such it had been left out.

And so, because this food truck is in my neighborhood, I decided to wait a month before revisiting. By this time, the hours had changed to Saturdays from noon until they ran out of product. They were still quite busy at noon on Saturday when I arrived.

The service was still smiling and friendly and the wait much shorter than before. Things I expected after that initial grand opening surge.

This time around I ordered a birria taco….with queso, a mulita, and of course some consomme.

The first thing I tasted when I got home was the consomme. It was still very bland which left me with a greasy mouthfeel….I'm thinking that Mike believes that the consomme is just for dipping and should not be consumed on its own.

The taco with queso was better than on my last visit. A bit more flavor, the meat more tender….the cilantro, onions, and a squeeze of lime helped things, but it was the cheese….which added a nice textural addition as well as some milkiness that did help. It was still really mild for my palate. I think the tortilla could have spent a bit more time on the comal, which would have added more crispness and a bit of caramelization. But that's just me.

As for the Mulita……well, it was a bit too much for me.

A lot of cheese as both sides were coated…..think of this a sort of a quesadilla if you will. Again, if the tortillas, which were quite good had been a bit charred adding some crispness and caramelization….perhaps it would be a different story. This was just a bit too rich for me and the beefiness seemed a bit lost here.

As for the salsas….I enjoyed the salsa verde the most. The acidity really helped to cut the richness. And yes, lime is your best friend here.

In then end; well, like I always say, I'm not happy "just to have something". And yet, I'm pleased to see folks out to support this business. And hope it's a bellwether of things to come.

On my first visit to Mike's, while waiting for my tacos, a nice, friendly gentleman walked over to me and asked me if I'd ever had Birria before…….I'm thinking that he's used to the more "hip" folks…I named off a couple of places and then mentioned Fernandez and also how much I enjoy birria de chivo…..which led to an interesting surprised look and an "ok….I hope you enjoy yourself" as he walked away…….

Mike's Red Tacos – Currently in the parking lot of Old Trieste
2335 Morena Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92110
Current Hours:
Saturday – Noon – 7pm

Sunday Sandwiches – Barrio Donas Revisited

June 13, 2021 mmm-yoso Mexican Restaurants, Sandwiches

I was working from home one morning and had calls scheduled thru lunch until the early afternoon. It was 9am and I was already hungry. I had been wondering how Barrio Donas was doing since my last visits had been right before the pandemic started. I went to their website to check on the hours and found that they now do online ordering so I decided to go for it. I placed an order and headed right on over.

I arrived right at the indicated time; though I had to wait for a bit. It was obvious that this online ordering thing was kinda new to them. The configuration of the bakery had been changed a bit to accommodate social distancing.

I was kinda hungry so I ordered the Pierna ($9.50). The first thing I noticed when I opened up the container was that the bolillo roll seemed different.

It was a lot lighter, both in color and heft than what I'd had here previously. But it was also much more yeasty than what I recall, though it hadn't handled the less than 15 minute drive home quite well.

But, this torta had twice the amount of filling than what I'd had before as well. The pork had been marinated and cooked well as it was so very tender. There was a slight heat and smokiness from what I assume is an adobo based sauce. I actually could have used more beans, onions, and tomato to balance things out….but I couldn't complain about the amount of filling in this sandwich.

About a week later, I was starving and had a break between calls; I decided to do the online ordering thing again and went with what has pretty much been my usual item at Barrio Donas; the A la Mexicana ($7.50). This time; maybe because it was 7am in the morning, my sandwich was waiting when I arrived.

The bread was the same as on my previous visit. Like the pierna, this had a bit more filling than what I'd had previously, though it wasn't super stuffed. This time the bread handled the trip home. And the yeastiness, combined with the mild acidic heat from the salsa, slight milkiness from the cheese, and the smear of beans just went well with the scrambled eggs.

Barrio Donas was doing good business during my visits and I'm happy to know that. In thinking back from the days when it was Best Donuts, the renovation to a more modern, sort of hipster Barrio Donas, and now with online ordering! They've sure have come quite a way! Derek Ray, I'm wondering if you've visited recently and noticed that Barrio Donas is now a bit more generous in terms of portion?

Barrio Donas
4714 Clairemont Mesa Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92117
Current Hours
Mon – Fri 6am – 6pm
Saturday 6am – 3pm
Sunday 7am – 3pm

Midweek Meanderings – Sushi Yorimichi replaces Thai Papaya, Matoi replaces Shirahama, El Viejon Seafood opening soon, and Pho UTC and Grill has Closed

June 9, 2021 mmm-yoso Japanese Restaurants, Mexican Restaurants, Pho, Sushi and Sashimi

Here's a collection of what I've seen over the last few weeks.

Sushi Yorimichi replaces Thai Papaya:

**** You can find a post on Sushi Yorimichi here.

This one was first mentioned to me by our "FOY" Junichi, who noticed it was replacing a favorite of ours Thai Papaya.

My photo was before our recent road trip and my understanding is that they have recently opened. A "FOY" actually visited and told me they do everything from sushi to ramen to yakitori…….

I'll reserve the rest of what was written until I (maybe) will visit in the near future.

Sushi Yorimichi
2405 Ulric St.
San Diego, CA 92111

Matoi replaces Shirahama:

Which I just noticed on one of my trips to Nijiya.

Shirahama has been replaced by yet another "omakase" place, this one run by the folks from Hane Sushi. I do have quite a story about Shirahama….perhaps one day I'll share it with you.

Matoi
4212 Convoy St.
San Diego, CA 92111

El Viejon Seafood replacing Chungchun Ssal Hot Dog:

**** You can find a post on El Viejon here.

This one really popped out at me when driving North on Convoy.

If I recall, this was the location of Chungchun Ssal Hot Dog………

Anyway, I understand this is a project from the folks that own Lupe's.

4619 Convoy St.
San Diego, CA 92111

Pho UTC and Grill has Closed:

On a recent visit to Chicago Fire Grill I noticed a slew of "for lease" signs. One of which was for Pho UTC.

8915 Towne Centre Dr
San Diego, CA 92122

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.

New to the Rotation Part 1 – De Cabeza

April 11, 2021 mmm-yoso Mexican Restaurants

As the days pass and the seasons change our rotation adjusts as well. This one has been great during the cooler temps and I'm sure that four visits over the last six weekends does indicate a place is currently on our rotation.

While the Missus has been sticking with the Cabeza en su Jugo which was love at first bite for Her. I've been trying out a couple of other items on the menu……and Jesus, the Manager hasn't steered me wrong.

And yes, just like I mentioned in my previous post; the upside down items are done on purpose…..it's not a mistake.

On one of my visits; I thought I'd try some tacos; I definitely wanted to try the lengua, Jesus suggested the tripas, and the other really friendly guy suggested the longanisa.

The lengua really delivered the deep beefy flavor I thought it would. It was melt-in-your-mouth tender and moist.

But, man…it was the tripas that I really loved…..the toothsome exterior, tender interior, and mild offal flavor. It was delici-yoso!!! The cilantro and onions added pungency and the mildly spicy salsa didn't interfere with the beefiness of these tacos.

The longanisa was fine if not very special. The tortillas, heated on the griddle while I waited held up well (no cracks or tears) and added the deep "corniness" to the tres tacos. I really enjoyed these tacos; the best I'd had since our last visit to CDMX.

As I left with the Missus's soup and my tacos, Jesus told me "try the alambres next time". Which is exactly what I did.

I selected lengua and tripas (of course) for my alambres. My goodness, the combination of textures, the meats had been caramelized on the comal giving it some crispness; loved the "chlorophyllic " and mild bitterness of the bell peppers and the griddled onions added a mild pungent-sweetness. The light amount of cheese kept things in place and of course bacon……yes, bacon….say no more! I'm going to have this again for sure.

So, even though the Missus is currently obsessed with the Cabeza en su Jugo…..

As the weather turns warmer; I'm sure I'll get Her to switch to the Alambres.

As with all my visits; Jesus is so warm and friendly…..and understands our tastes and preferences. And we really appreciate it!

De Cabeza
1043 Broadway
Chula Vista, CA 91911
(619) 349-2505
Hours:
Daily 8am – 8pm

Cabeza en su Jugo from De Cabeza

March 15, 2021 mmm-yoso Mexican Restaurants

During my recent visit to Hogetsu Bakery, I decided to make one more stop. It had been so long since I'd been down to Chula Vista. A while back, one of favorite breakfast stops, Aqui es Texcoco moved and took over the large space that Al Pastor Mexican Grill occupied. The former space of Aqui es Texcoco, still under the same ownership became a Cabeza en su Jugo spot named appropriately, De Cabeza. It had been quite a while since I'd had Cabeza en su Jugo and I thought it would be a nice lunch on a chilly day.

Walking into the little shop I was happy to see that the manager of Aqui es Texcoco, when it was in this spot, Jesus was managing De Cabeza. He seemed so happy to see me; he said "we really miss you and you wife". Jesus has always been so gracious, warm, and friendly to us that I felt a bit guilty for not dropping by earlier, so I explained to him all the Covid stuff in a rambling, fumbling manner, and that I hadn't been down to Chula Vista since 2019!

I quickly noticed a couple of upside down items in the restaurant and Jesus explained that De Cabeza has turned things "upside down" with it's great food! I had to laugh. So, of course I got the Cabeza en su Jugo…..made Jesus's way and took it home.

Man oh man, the beefy fragrance permeated my car!

I believe I called Cabeza en su Jugo "beef-a-licious" in post from long ago and this was even more beefy. All the good bits from the cow's head were so tender; the pungency of the onion and the mild citrusy-pungency of the cilantro really added to this soup. There was a mild spice to things as well. I really didn't even need the tortillas; though they came in handy for a nice corn infused beef-a-licous bit when I plied down some of the tender pieces of wonderful bovine goodness in them.

It was so full of flavor and the onions and cilantro really helped to cut the richness that the lime seemed superfluous to me. There was just enough salt to keep me happy.

I saved a little less than half of the soup for the Missus which She loved (of course); which had me driving back to De Cabeza his past weekend……which I dropped off for the Missus at Her work. I guess as Covid slowly (fingers crossed) dies down, we'll have another place on our rotation. Plus, they've got Alambres; which the Missus enjoyed at Al Pastor Grill…so it'll be good to see how that compares.

It was good to see Jesus and to know things are going well (as possible). It was also great to have the Cabeza en su Jugo…..that deep beef richness just has the "aaaah" factor for us. I'm sure the Missus will be wanting this again soon…especially if the chilly weather continues for a spell.

De Cabeza
1043 Broadway
Chula Vista, CA 91911
(619) 349-2505
Hours:
Daily 8am – 8pm

Clearing Out the Memory Card – Teotihuacan, Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe, and a Revisit to Pasillo de Humo (CDMX)

December 26, 2020 mmm-yoso Mexican Restaurants, Mexico, Mexico City, Travel

Well, the Missus keeps insisting that we had only one trip this year; our recent roadtrip. I reminded Her that we did two trips early in the year, San Francisco and Mexico City. I went ahead and started showing Her our photos. Honestly, I don't blame Her for thinking those trips didn't happen this year….January and February just seem so long ago now.

Anyway, while I was looking at some of my photos; I thought I'd better get me act together and start doing posts. I'm going to try to limit my verbiage from this point on and let you enjoy the photos, though I think I'm not going to be very successful.

Before our trip to CDMX, I contacted a Driver named Aaron Cruz that came highly recommended by a couple of the Missus's coworkers and heck is even the subject of this thread in TripAdvisor. Anyway, contacting and arranging was easy. And on the day of pick-up, I went out and quickly picked up some croissants from our favorite bakery down the street.

Aaron was on time and got us to Teotihuacan in no time at all. Both the Missus and I had read about this amazing UNESCO World Heritage Site and were excited about our visit. Needless to say; it delivered.

Entering from the Southwest entrance, the first thing you come upon is La Cuidadela (the Citadel), which is theorized to be the main square of the city. Within the walls is the Templo de Quetzalcoatl ("Temple of the Feathered Serpent") which is said to be the last of the three pyramid built at Teotihuacan. There are six levels of the pyramid each of which is decorated with the sculptured heads of Fire and Feathered Serpents. Discoveries are still being made to this day around and under the temple.

The main street that lead past the Pyramid of the Sun and ends at the Pyramid of the Moon is called Calzada de los Muertos ("Avenue of the Dead") currently runs for about 2 kilometers and is thought to have been even longer during the height of Teotihuacan's existence.

There are what appears to be former dwellings and structures along the west side of the avenue and there's quite a bit to see here as well.

Right across the way is the very impressive Pirámide del Sol ("Pyramid of the Sun") which stands at 216 feet (65 1/2 meters) tall.

It's a fairly steep climb to the top, but totally worth it.

The views from the top are amazing.

We celebrated making it to the top by having our croissants…

While enjoying a wonderful view of Pirámide de la Luna ("Pyramid of the Moon").

You notice the photos of dogs above……they all seemed well behaved and really mellow. The most impressive dog was the one that was sleeping at the top of the Pyramid of the Sun! Man, to think this pooch climbed up all those steep stairs!

We headed back down and made our way to the Pyramid of the Moon. It's not just all huge structures at Teotihuacan. There are some interesting murals; like this one of a Puma.

And then we made it to the end of Avenue of the Dead.

And soon enough the Missus had me climbing up the Pyramid of the Moon; which for some reason seemed even steeper than the Pyramid of the Sun!

And the views from here were no less outstanding. The area in front of the pyramid is known as the "Plaza of the Moon" and the part of it with the central altar is known as the "Teotihuacan Cross".

After carefully working my way down the pyramid; we headed toward the Northwest Entrance where we'd be meeting Aaron and took some time to visit the Palace of Quetzalpapálotl to take in the wonderful carvings and bas-reliefs.

And soon enough; it was time to be on our way.

Aaron mentioned that we still had some time and recommended visiting the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe. So naturally, we said "of course".

We parked on a side street; under the altar and headed up Calz de Guadalupe. There are actually two Basilica's here. The "Old" Basilica.

Which was finished in 1709. Because of unstable ground the church started sinking and; if look at it from an angle it is actually leaning.

Because of this; a "New" Basilica was completed in 1976, which looks very modern.

The Old Basilica was closed and went under repairs for many years and had just recently been reopened; so we got to check it out.

The entire complex called Villa de Guadalupe is composed of several churches, chapels and is where Juan Diego saw the apparition of the Virgin of Guadalupe (the Virgin Mary) on December 12th, 1531.

At the top of the hill is Capilla del Cerrito.

Along with other structures like "Las Velas del Marino", which from what I was told is an offering of gratitude for being saved from at shipwreck in the 18th century. It was rebuilt in the 20th Century.

There is much to see here; like La Ofrenda by Aurelio G.D. Mendoza.

And while exploring the various temples and churches, whether it's on an fault line and slowly separating from it's foundation; yet still standing upright due to "the will". Quite interesting to say the least.

Or perhaps the oldest church on this site, dating back to 1649…the Antigua Parroquia de Indios, it's all quite amazing to see. Faith plays out everyday here.

And then to end things off, we visited the "New Basilica" to end our visit here.

This was quite an amazing day and frankly we were bushed. Luckily, I had reservations at a place right down the street that we enjoyed on our previous visit, Pasillo de Humo. I'm not going into detail here, you can read my previous post. I will say, service was great and, at least for us, doing the appetizer thing might be the best way to go here.

And when picking from the Mezcal "trolley", my favorite is the "Ojo de Tigre"…..

This was just as good as the last time we visited.

Pasillo de Humo
Av Nuevo León 107
06100 Cuauhtémoc, CDMX, Mexico

The Pacific Seafood Mariscos Truck

April 2, 2020 mmm-yoso Food Trucks, Mexican Restaurants, Seafood

I noticed that this Taco Truck is again parked in the lot of V-Outlet, so I thought I'd go ahead and do the post.

A couple of months back, I noticed a Mariscos Truck parked in the lot of V-Outlet.

It's been a while since I recall a Mariscos Truck in the area. So, after a bunch of delays, I managed to make a visit.

It seems to be a nice husband and wife team running this truck. Their young daughter helped mom put the sign and up kept herself amused on the wall in back of the truck.

On this visit, I decided to get one fried and one none fried taco….I really wanted a Gobernador, but didn't see it until after I ordered ("Governor"), so I got a fish taco and a shrimp a la diabla and ate on the hood of my car.

The woman kindly offered me some consommé……

Super hot, though lacking in seafood flavor and too much celery.

The beer battered fish taco was the better of the two.

The tortilla was basic, but decent. The batter on the fish was light and crisp. The fish while not being of the highest quality (what do you expect for two bucks?), was moist and tender. The cabbage was crisp; the tomatoes in the pico….well, wasn't fully ripe, but the textures were nice. not bad.

The Shrimp al la Diabla, wasn't my favorite.

Well, this wasn't very spicy, though those cebollas de habanero had quite a kick and added to the taco. The taco was quite hefty, though there didn't seem to be much shrimp in this and it was fairly greasy and really lacked flavor. The double tortilla was a good idea, but this was just mediocre overall.

Well that fish taco wasn't too bad, so on my next visit a couple of weeks later, I decided to go with something fried (shrimp taco) and the "Governor" (Gobernador). I was again graciously given a cup of the consommé, which tasted the same as on my previous visit.

The Beer Battered Shrimp Taco was probably the best thing I've had from this truck.

There was a good portion of shrimp, like the fish taco, the batter was crisp and fairly light……as before the pico de gallo left something to be desired, but this was pretty good….I'd have it again.

The Gobernador; while not as bad as the Shrimp Diablo left something to be desired.

I did enjoy the avocado, but again there was too much vegetables and "stuff" compared to shrimp, which was overcooked and on the rubbery side. It also was on the greasy side and fairly bland.

Overall, some nice folks, the food is definitely not on par with the Mariscos Trucks in the South Bay. The shrimp taco was decent….I think staying with the fried stuff here might be the way to go.

And yes, I just passed by today and the truck was in the parking lot.

Pacific Seafood Mariscos Truck
In the Parking Lot of V-Outlet
3020 Clairemont Dr
San Diego, CA 92117

Revisits – Barrio Donas and Pho Hoa Huong

February 26, 2020 mmm-yoso Mexican Restaurants, Pho, Sandwiches, Vietnamese Restaurants

I guess if you've been reading long enough you'd have noticed by now that I'm just not a pancakes and French toast for breakfast kinda guy, right? Here are a couple more weekend breakfast stops.

Barrio Donas:

One morning when the Missus had to work; I decided to head into the office to catch up on a few things. On the way up, I decided to take a short detour to see how Barrio Donas was doing. The place was pretty busy for just past 7am on a Sunday morning.

I still can't get over the rather modern; hipster-ish look of the place; such a change from when it was Best Donuts.

I got my usual breakfast torta; the A la Mexicana.

On the good side; the light and airy bolillo roll was still warm as I opened up the sandwich. These days; it seems that there's a lot less salsa and spice, and much more cheese. It's not quite the sandwich that I really used to enjoy….it seems a bit out of balance, a milder and tamer version.

The great thing about doing this blog for so long…..here's the A la Mexicana from Best Donuts back in March of 2017.

Nice acidity and brightness from the salsa, decent heat from the jalapenos, the earthy-nutty-savory flavor of the beans, not too much cheese, mixed with eggs. Doesn't that one look better? It was also $4.99 then; now, while it's not a big deal, it's $6.50. They gotta pay for all the renovations I guess.

Barrio Donas
4714 Clairemont Mesa Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92117

Pho Hoa Huong:

On may to do my usual "rounds" on a Saturday morning, I was too early for my next set of stops; Nijiya, H Mart, and Marukai, so I decided to grab some breakfast…..my kind of breakfast. I had kind of enjoyed my last visit to the "fastest pho in the west" and decided to drop by.

Like I mentioned in my last post; the former perfunctory, hovering over you waiting for your order, has been replaced with a more relaxed…..though I can't really call it friendly, atmosphere. What hasn't changed was how quickly the pho hit my table after I ordered it. I set my stopwatch and it clocked in at an amazing 3 minutes 45 seconds…..

Being the consistent (or as the Missus calls it, "boring") person that I am. I went with #4.

Man, look at all that basil, sprouts, and ngo gai. Some of the basil was turning color, but there was so much of it that it really didn't matter.

The broth was darker than on my previous visit, slightly beefy, not overly sweet as is the norm for san Diego pho these days. Perhaps a bit too defatted, but not bad overall. I didn't need lime to cut the saltiness.

The clump of noodles still had a nice pull to them….I guess when you get the bowl to the table in less than five minutes, there's no chance of the noodles getting mushy.

The flank was better this time around; though still too tough for my liking; the tendon decent, and the tripe had a nice crunch.

And like on previous visits, in and out in less than 30 minutes.

Pho Hoa-Huong Restaurant
6921 Linda Vista Rd
San Diego, CA 92111