Mexican Restaurants – Page 16

Emily’s Taco Shop & Birrieria (Spring Valley)

July 5, 2017 mmm-yoso Mexican Restaurants, Taco Shops

**** Emily's is no longer at this location and does catering only

I've gotten some great recommendations over the years. In fact, I don't think we'd still be around and heading toward 3600 posts of not for all the recommendations I receive. This one, is from "KenB" who always sends me interesting emails a couple of times a year. Last week, he shot me an email after saying: "Excellent food. Birria de chivo was fantastic." Birria de Chivo? Man, there are places I enjoy for Birria de Res; but Birria de Chivo. So, even though I needed to go into the office this past weekend…..I kinda took….the long way…yeah…that's what I did….take the long way….

To this little shop on the corner of Grand, where Jamacha Road becomes Apple Street. Cathy's done a post on the place on that corner, La Sinaloense. This one is named Emily's Taco Shop & Birrieria.

A very humble looking shop, in what looks like an apartment conversion, which shares a tiny parking lot with a laundromat. This is the kind of place you'd miss if you blinked.

And yet, it seems there's a steady flow of regulars, couples, and families. This is a real mom-and-pop operation; the nice young gentleman is named Christian and I'm assuming the very friendly young lady is his wife. I was told by the young lady that Emily is her daughter, who was busy watching a movie on one of the tables.

This is one of those order at the counter and have a seat kind of places. I pretty much knew what I wanted….birria and consommé of course, so ordering was a breeze.

I got a taco de birria de res and de chivo (beef and goat $4.25 each). Which took a while but when it arrived, I knew it was worth the wait.

The wonderful, sturdy, corn-y tortillas, were up to the task, soaked and griddled (dorado), they held up and had so much flavor. The birria de res, was tender, with a decent amount of seasoning, but seemed a bit too mild to stand up to the thick, smokey, salsa….a nice slow back of the throat burn. I think Fernandez does better. But the birria de chivo was excellent….just a perfect balance of that distinctive "flavor of the pasture" and seasonings. The texture was tender. A squeeze of lime and bit of that salsa and I could eat this everyday.

As much as I enjoyed the tacos; it was the consommé de chivo ($2) that really got my attention. First off, it was served in a wonderful cup.

The cup had both form and function as it kept the broth molten hot for the entire meal. I took a couple of sips that burned a path down my esophagus. Deep flavors, nice gamey up front, comforting, very balanced…you know you were drinking broth that came from goat….but it wasn't screaming that fact to your taste buds. Lime did a great job of smoothing out the edges. This was delici-yoso…..

There's and interesting crowd here. An older guy came in and ordered in Spanish and took a seat. I was surprised to see that he ordered Carne Asada Fries! And he looked like he was enjoying them. KenB also recommended the carnitas.

So there you go. You might find it interesting that I'm doing a post on a newer place with one single visit. Well, I know I need to take the Missus here soon or She'll kill me. So, I can't visit again without Her. I'm sure this will be soon enough. Here's hoping that consommé is just as good.

Emily's Taco Shop & Birrieria
1015 Grand Ave
Spring Valley, CA 91977
Hours:
Tues – Sat 10am – 7pm
Sunday 10am – 3pm

Thanks for the recommendation KenB!

It’s been a while week – Ranas Mexico City Cuisine

June 26, 2017 mmm-yoso Mexican Restaurants

**** Ranas has closed

For some reason, it was Ranas that came to mind while having breakfast at Fernandez Restaurant. I'm not sure why, perhaps is just a natural thing since it seems that I do a post on Ranas on a five years cycle. Guess when my last post was on Ranas? Yep, 2012. It's nice to see the "progression" with Ranas, from a simple shop with green walls and banquet chairs, to a much nicer restaurant.

To now……. Ranas has now taken over the entire building. The left door is the "Cantina", on the right is the restaurant.

One thing seems to be constant, it's the same really nice guy from my previous visits! He told me that they took over this side of the building two years ago.

Things started, as always with some chips and salsa.

There's one item on the menu I really enjoy here; the Pork Entomatado. I usually get the "plate", but this time I went for the Huarache ($11).

The pork was spicier than I recall; I kind of remember a nice heat, along with a nice smokey-tangy flavor. This was more front of mouth and lips and the flavors didn't seem as well rounded and complex…..I'm wondering if they've changed around the chilies a bit on this? Thick, rustic bed of masa, nice an full of corn flavor. I enjoyed the beans, though perhaps there was a bit too much of it, as it kind of wiped out what flavor the nopales had; though I still enjoyed the textural contrasts of all the players. The pork was tender and this did fine by me.

Still great service…..

Though I think next time I'll go for the plate.

Hopefully, I won't have to wait another five years……

Ranas Mexico City Cuisine
9683 Campo Rd
Spring Valley, CA 91977

Breakfasts of Champions – Fernandez Restaurant and SuperNatural Sandwiches

June 19, 2017 mmm-yoso Breakfast/Brunch, Mexican Restaurants, Sandwiches

Here are a couple more nice breakfasts.

Fernandez Restaurant and Catering:

It's been a few years since I've been here. I recently had some pretty terrible birria de res (an upcoming post) and needed to get something good into my system. Still located in that rather random apartment cum modified office building, they've put up a nice sign have a separate take-out window, and have a host/hostess podium now!

And the folding banquet chairs have been replaced with some pretty colorful versions as well……

As you notice; Jorge is still the main man here as everyone seems to know him. He smiles and talks to all the customers.

I got the Tacos de Birria con Nervio, man I love that tendon on top of those tacos.

Buttery tendon; nice beefy meat, seasoning and spices coming through, a fairly picante salsa, all in slightly crunchy, dipped, and fried tortillas (tacos dorados). Cilantro and onion, a squeeze of lime……and you're all set.

The consommé seemed to have more spices and was less beefy than I recalled, though it was just as rich. A touch of salt, squeeze of lime, some onions and cilantro for good measure and that "aaah" factor just came through.

As I mentioned in my post four years ago….I only wish this place was closer to home.

Good prices; very nice folks (not less than four people asked me how I enjoyed my meal), and delicious birria.

Fernandez Restaurant and Catering
2265 Flower Ave
San Diego, CA 92154
Hours:
Wed – Sunday 8am – 2pm

Breakfast at Supernatural Sandwiches:

**** SuperNatural Sandwiches has closed

So, I'm not sure if you saw this sign.

Yes, it says breakfast. Caught me totally by surprise. Though I gotta say they always have some new wrinkle.

The bummer was; breakfast is only from 9 to 11 am, Monday to Friday. How often am I able to get up here during those hours? Well, because of crazy scheduling and meetings close by, I was able to drop by around 930 and try a breakfast sandwich, one that held me all the way until dinner.

It was kind of strange seeing SuperNatural looking empty like this……

Anyway……now that I had a chance….why not have a "Sasquatch". I'm still waiting for the "Unicorn" BTW.

This was a good sandwich! I think it's the thick cut, not overly salty, griddled pastrami that really brought a lot of flavor and a bit of crispness to this, there was even a sneaky touch of spice hidden in his forest of food. Working in tandem with that buttery roll, this was an over-the-top sounding sandwich with flavors solidly rooted in what I expected.

Yes there's hashbrowns, but it went well with the egg and pastrami….which I wish was a bit more runny, but was decent.

Like I said….no lunch needed, this easily held me until dinner.

There are of course, always possible areas of improvement…..

–Like having moist towelettes, because these sandwiches are messy and I hate going to meetings with buttered-pastrami hands.

–I know these are young dudes, with probably great social lives….but I think they can manage to open at 9am on weekends and serve up some breakfast…..I really do.

–I'm still waiting for a sandwich that I know exists…..but I've never seen it….it must be invisible……of ham and pineapple flavor…. the Unicorn?

Well, at least I know Sasquatch exists, right? And it's pretty tasty…..

SuperNatural Sandwiches
7094 Miramar Rd. #122
San Diego, CA 92121

La Vecindad Neighborhood Tacos

June 12, 2017 mmm-yoso Mexican Restaurants, Taco Shops

I know a couple who can't stop raving about La Vecindad. So, when I had some meetings in the area recently, I decided to drop by.

Located in the old Guild Theatre; this location really hasn't done well as businesses sure don't seem to last long here.

I gotta say, this place really went for it with regards to bright colors, making the place look quite festive.

The drill here is you go to the counter and order…..the young lady working was an absolute joy; so friendly! I looked over the menu and not really sure what to order, just winged it ordering three tacos. Not cheap at $3.75 a piece, but heck, in this age of hipster tacos, I've kinda gotten used to higher taco prices for a better quality (and tasting) product.

Though I thought the salsas here were really mild. And on this day, I had to ask for some limes….though that really friendly young lady was more than happy to get me some.

I ended up ordering an Al Pastor, El Perron, and a Taco de Papas (potato).

I quickly noticed how hefty these tacos were.

Of the three, I enjoyed the Al Pastor the best.

First thing I noticed that the rather succulent and tender pork, was not the usual thin cut pork and didn't have the bright red color I'm used to with the usual Al Pastor I consume. The flavor, was on the mild side and lacking in the sweet-fruity tones I get from versions I enjoy. The flavor of the white corn tortilla was quite mild and I prefer a more assertive corn flavor. As whole, very mild taste wise, but not bad.

Funny, I was rather happy to see a Tacos El Perron on the menu; it made me think of what I had at the "counterfeit" Tacos Yaqui in San Ysidro that was only open for a short time. This was definitely not that.

When I think of Tacos Perron, the meat is grilled flank steak, mild, but with a nice beefy flavor. This was the usual thin slice beef, you know, the stuff used on your run-of-the-mill carne asada. It was the tough side and lacked flavor. Also, this version used the corn tortilla, which, as you can see in the photo to the right was not up to the task, versus the flour tortilla with a nice layer of cheese melted on the bottom to help preserve it. No beans on this one. It had some nicely seasoned nopales, which, while on the salty side really brought that green bean like flavor along with a pleasant sliminess and griddled onions which were also quite good.

The Potato Taco was nice in terms of texture as the potatoes weren't mushy and dry.

But this just seemed quite bland. The really mild salsas really didn't help much either.

Overall, not bad….nothing outstanding per se, but decent. I did have a nice short chat with the young lady working here. She told me to come back for "Taco Tuesday" when the tacos were two for six bucks and try the two top sellers; the Campechano and the Costa Azul. So I did just that….returning on a Tuesday a few weeks later.

I had to crack up when I got to the salsa bar; notice the Salsa Roja is labeled Salsa Verde and so forth.

Following orders I got the two tacos…..

The Campechano had all the ingredients; thin sliced, though under flavored and rather unwieldy and chewy beef and longaniza; which was on the milder side with regards to flavor, but decent.

Along with the nopales and onions like the El Perron and griddled potatoes which were nicely seasoned. This had a certain greasiness to it and again the tortilla was not up so the task. It was one hefty taco though; that is easily worth the three bucks on taco Tuesday.

The Costa Azul was much better.

On my first bite I was greeted with a nice bacon wrapped shrimp. The bacon was so crisp that it was like having a bacon flavored batter. The creaminess of the avocado and the slightly milky cheese worked together nicely. And the absence of grease or liquid, the tortilla held up, though it's still not my favorite tortilla.

The verdict? I really like the folks who work here. They are really friendly.

Definitely mixed results with the tacos I sampled and was not fond of how they prep and cook their beef. I don't think this would be counted as a "destination" taco stop for me, but I'd stop by if I'm in the neighborhood and hungry again. After all, they call themselves La Vencidad "Neighborhood Tacos".

La Vecindad Neighborhood Tacos
3827 5th Ave
San Diego, CA 92103
Hours:
Mon – Thurs 11am – 10pm
Fri – Sat 11am – 11pm
Sun 10am – 9pm

Carnitas Uruapan (revisits)

May 30, 2017 Cathy Mexican Restaurants, Taco Shops, What Cathy Eats!

Thanks for dropping by to read about food on mmm-yoso!!! Kirk and Ed (from Yuma) are both otherwise engaged and Cathy is also busy, but is able to write today.

Kirk has mentioned how he had been working 12 hour days, yet He did find time to eat and write about it. The Mister and I haven't had the time to go out and eat at a variety of places, but always take photos of meals. I posted about Carnitas Uruapan in 2006, when I first started helping Kirk on this blog (and I posted again in 2012) it's a regular spot for us. The location is in a corner of a small lot, small inside and there is an ordering window. Walk inside and the menu plus some specials are listed. The carnitas 'Dinner for one' ($6.25) is probably the most popular item here. 1/2 pound of freshly prepared pork, served with tortillas, rice, beans, onion, tomato and cilantro is more than enough food; easily shared. That bowl of crispy looking fried meat at the 2 o'clock position is 1/2 pound of pork chicharron ($4).
When you order inside to eat, a bowl of fresh made chips and salsa are brought to your table. The salsa is pepper (not tomato) based and has just the slightest amount of heat and a wonderful flavor. Enchiladas Suizas ($8.99). My favorite version is from Ponce's, but the version at Carnitas Uruapan is a close second. The unique tomatillo/garlic based sauce mixed with cheese ('Suiza' means 'Swiss') satisfies cravings.Divorciados ($8.99). A plate symbolizing divorce, differences and also a choice when I can't decide (mentioned at the bottom of this post). Red sauce over shredded pork, green sauce over chicharrones along with beans and rice. This pretty much satisfies all of my cravings.

Here is another meal of the 1/2 pound carnitas, along with 1/2 pound of chicharrones. Sorry for the repetition, it is my favorite meal here.

I hope your week is going well!

Carnitas Uruapan 4233 Spring Street La Mesa, Ca 91941 (619) 337-2448 Sun-Thurs 9a.m.-9p.m., Fri-Sat 9 a.m.-11 p.m.

Breakfasts of Champions – Revisits to Hinotez and Aqui es Texcoco

March 19, 2017 mmm-yoso Breakfast/Brunch, Japanese Restaurants, Mexican Restaurants

When the Missus asks to go to breakfast on the weekend; She doesn't mean pancakes and eggs. No, She wants something from, say Zarlitos or Fernandez Catering. It's nice to have access to a bit of variety around these parts. Here are a couple of places I've posted on many times before.

Hinotez:

It took a while to talk the Missus into having breakfast with me at Hinotez. But memories of "Japanese Breakfast" in Japan finally made Her give in. I've already gone into what a simple breakfast of natto, egg, and rice means to me. And while Hinotez no longer serves the simple "Basic Breakfast"……you now have to get a bunch of proteins and the natto, egg, and tororo are add-ons, kind of a bummer, this is the only place you'll get something close to Japanese breakfast in San Diego. And only on Saturday and Sunday.

This ends up being a bit too much food and just like in Miyajima, we just head back to bed afterwards. Also, we've learned to request "half-rice" with this as well.

Anyway, it basically is all about the natto and rice thing….though I got beef and chicken karaage. The beef was tender and there were no complaints. The karaage was fine; crisp and nicely flavored…..but in a real amateur move, they had cut one of the pieces in half to check doneness.

Still, this brings back memories of places like Yaesu Hatsufuji.

Hinotez
7947 Balboa Ave
San Diego, CA 92111

Aqui es Texcoco:

A big favorite of the Missus, she loves the Plato Azteca here….and always gets an order of beans to go. Go figure.

I'd never had the Sopes, so I thought I'd give it a try. It was very good; the combination of lamb and beans just went together well. The rustic thick corn base was also texturally pleasant.

The light milky-tanginess of the cheese helped cut through the richness….though I gotta say this is pretty heavy stuff. I was stuffed after one and a half.

Even the Café Olla didn't help.

The Missus got a Quesataco with Flor de Calabaza, which was very crunchy - creamy, but a bit too salty for me, which basically muted all the other flavors. And of course the Plato Azteca, which I've posted on a good number of times Like always it's huitlacoche and flor de calabaza. She also loves the leftovers as there's no way She can finish all of this.

Aqui Es Texcoco
1043 Broadway
Chula Vista, CA 91911

And then the best part…….because we're able to do this on weekends I don't have to go into work…..it's time to roll back into bed!

Birrieria y Menuderia Guadalajara

January 2, 2017 mmm-yoso Mexican Restaurants

I had a couple of days after Christmas off this year. So while the Missus slept, I headed down to Chula Vista. It had been quite a while since I’d really took time to just look around. Usually, I’d just turn on Broadway and H Street, but this time I kept driving North. And at the corner of G and Broadway I saw this place.

If I recall, this place was Mariana’s or something like that. So it obviously had been a while since I’d been around here.

It had been quite a while since I’d had decent Birria of any kind, so I decided to stop and have breakfast.

The folks working were very friendly and I was quickly seated.

Always a sucker for a good consommé; I went with the Consomme de Chivo and two tacos, the birria de res (beef) and birria de chivo (goat). But this being breakfast, everything started with some café de olla.

Which was quite nice; not too sweet. The usual condiments were provided, including some decent chips. The salsa roja was quite spicy….a bit too much as it basically over powered everything. The other, fairly smoky, I’m thinking chipotle salsa was quite nice.

I ordered the straight up consommé, which was slightly gamey, but not too strong.

Quite a bit of black pepper in this; at least to me. It did well with a hefty squeeze of lime, plus cilantro and onions. Not super rich, but satisfying.

I also ordered my tacos with “tortilla hecha a mano”, hand made tortillas, a buck more ($2.95) in price.

The tortillas were quite rustic; thick, full of corn flavor, hefty. The actual proteins were a mixed bag. The portions were generous; the birria de res was on the dry and stringy side, though it had a bit of beefiness to it. The birria de chivo had an interesting texture….chopped into small cubes, it was silken, almost buttery, but lacked that “taste of the pasture” I really enjoy.

Not perfect, but a decent meal. So I decided to go out on a limb. Do a search on Menudo and you’ll find a paucity of posts….at least those written by me. When we first moved to San Diego, I tried at least a dozen places for menudo….and man, what I got was a mixed bag….on the negative side…..most of it was really bad. I tend to pick my “menudo battles” carefully these days.

However, we’ve just entered a New Year….time to turn the page….and I thought…why not have the menudo here.

So I returned, for a New Years breakfast…..

Not too hungry, I just went with the small bowl of menudo ($6.95).

So let’s cut to the chase, shall we? I could actually smell the menudo as it was brought to he table. I call this “fragrance au cow patty”. It reminds me of when we used to live in Hacienda Heights and when the winds blew west we could smell the cows in Ontario. It was quite funky. The flavor of the broth was quite neutral, very mild….but add a squeeze of lime, oregano, a few shakes of the salsa, cilantro and onions, and things were livened up a bit. The texture of the broth had that tongue coating, almost fatty richness. The tendon was very good, smooth and tender; the various pieces of tripe were also almost buttery. There was hominy in the broth, but it was way too soft to enjoy.

The flavor of the hand made tortillas was nice; but they were too brittle and not up to the task. Still, this was far from bad. The service, while not particularly quick was accommodating and friendly. Perhaps I’ll return……..

Birrieria Y Menuderia Guadalajara
396 Broadway
Chula Vista, CA 91910

San Diego Restaurants

Clearing Out the Memory Card – The Lion’s Share and Aqui es Texcoco

December 23, 2016 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants, Gastropub, Mexican Restaurants

Everyone's kind of distracted this time of the year. Here are photos of revisits to two places that I'd like to clear out of my memory card before the year ends.

The Lion's Share:

A Happy Hour favorite of the Missus.

Especially since She's really gotten to enjoy a nice cocktail now and then.

And Her favorite Happy Hour item still are those Deviled Eggs.

$6 during happy hour; the Missus is often tempted to order two. I enjoy the Prosciutto with Truffle Oil the most.

The Rabbit Sausage ($6 – Happy Hour) was nice; but it was the delicious whole grain mustard we really enjoyed.

The wbBLT Sliders ($8 – Happy Hour) are fine; we both enjoy the nice rolls.

The Wild Boar Poutine ($8 – Happy Hour) on the other hand was a disappointment.

Looks like this was placed under a broiler and the fries dried out making it seemed more baked than fried. The cheese was way too gooey and this was pretty salty so we couldn't make out any "wild boar". Also, where's the gravy?

As whole, we really enjoy the good cocktails ($6 – Happy Hour) and good Happy Hour pricing. The rather odd and eye catching artwork is a bonus. The Missus really likes the Lion's Share…to the point that She's willing to head into the Gaslamp.

The Lion's Share
629 Kettner Boulevard
San Diego, CA 92101

Hours:
Open daily 4 pm – 2 am – Happy hour from 4 – 6pm Daily

Aqui es Texcoco:

It's been way too long since we last visited. But our old favorites are still great here.

From the consommé; full of lamb flavor and nice and comforting with a squeeze of lime.

To the salty, but satisfying Chicharron de Queso…..griddled cheese.

And the Missus's favorite; the Plato Azteca……with huitlacoche(of course) and flor de calabaza (squash blossom) of course.

And of course you gotta get some Borrego….in this case the Mixiote.

Something I didn't take a photo of but was pretty impressed with this time around were the tortillas which were excellent.

Aqui es Texcoco never lets us down.

Aqui Es Texcoco
1043 Broadway
Chula Vista, CA 91911

I couldn't help but take a photo of this sweet face…….waiting faithfully for its owner who was probably doing some Christmas shopping….hopefully for the pooch.

Breakfasts of Champions – El Borrego, Manila Fast Food and Desserts, and the “Moco Loco” at the High Dive

December 18, 2016 mmm-yoso Breakfast/Brunch, Filipino Restaurants, Loco Mocos, Mexican Restaurants, Pubs and Pub Grub

While I might grumble about the food and restaurants here in San Diego from time to time; I do realize that there is a nice variety available to you if you take the time to enjoy things. Take breakfast/brunch for example. Over the last couple of weeks, I found myself getting something different from the usual noodle soup while doing my Saturday morning errands.

El Borrego:

**** As of 12/28/2025 El Borrego has sadly closed

It’s easy to overlook El Borrego. The street parking is limited and it’s in sort of a no-man’s land right before the main City Heights shopping area. Heck; it’s been about four years since I’ve last visited.

But with temps now dipping into the 40’s at night, I just wanted some Lamb Consomme.

The lovely warm embrace of the gamey lamb broth ($2.25) was just the thing I needed to warm me up and get me going. As was the Mexican coffee.

Being a bit hungry, I also ordered two Quesadilla Rellenas ($2.75/ each); one with flor de calabasa and the other with; of course, huitlacoche….I’m thinking that Black Belt Jonez comment on huitlacoche had me craving it.

The huitlacoche here is fairly mild with just a bit of that fungi flavor; the squash blossom goes really well with the cheese; which adds in a slightly milky touch. That salsa roja is no joke either.

Nice and comforting, but not too much food; it was what I needed to get all systems ready for my errands.

El Borrego Restaurant
4280 El Cajon Boulevard
San Diego, CA 92115

Manila Fast Food and Desserts:

I was here just a few months back, but decided to get my Longsilog fix since I was in the neighborhood.

Manila Breakfast 02 The Garlic Rice was decent; miost and the garlic wasn’t too burnt and bitter. The steam table eggs weren’t bad; still soft and runny in the middle; though I do enjoy my eggs with crisp edges. The eggs weren’t seasoned, so adding your own salt is a must. The standard issue longanisa was fine; I’d prefer bit more char, but it had a nice snap, wasn’t dried out, and had that sweet longanisa hamonado flavor.

Manila Fast Food and Desserts
8979 Mira Mesa Blvd
San Diego, CA 92126

The “Moco Loco” at the High Dive:

So, I’ve been going into the office during most weekends since we got back from vacation. Some were necessary; on other days, it was just to catch up on admin stuff. I ran to Birdrock on Morena to pick up some coffee beans for the Missus. I’d done my Sprouts – 99 Ranch Market – Nijiya – Costco shopping and was going to grab something quick and head off to the office when I decided to “F that”……I deserved a day off and maybe a nice long weekend nap.

The car took over and parked alongside the High Dive. And my 11am Ommegang Gnomegang clinched the deal.

I haven’t been the biggest fan of the food here, but hadn’t seen the Brunch menu before. THD opens at 8am on Saturday and Sunday and they had something called the “Moco Loco” ($15)….you know me and Loco Mocos.

This really was a mixed bag. The egg seemed kinda small, but was fine, the yolk still runny. The gravy was straight up mushroom gravy which had a decent texture; not overly gluey, and wasn’t too salty. It was just a tad over lukewarm though. The rice had an odd texture……not sure what was going on.

The best item was the burger; which, while being pretty lean and toothsome, had a really nice char with a good beefiness to it.

One word of warning; if you’re ordering this and can’t take something less than medium, I think you should let them know as what I got was pretty darn rare. Though it didn’t bother me.

High Dive Bar and Grill
1801 Morena Blvd
San Diego, CA 92110

Well, at least I actually did take a “day off”. And I got something other than noodle soup for my weekend breakfast.

Cold, Windy, Wet Weather-Mama Testa, Lucky Seafood, Chopstix, Pho Hoa, Sam Woo BBQ and Tip Top Meats

December 16, 2016 Cathy Chinese Restaurants, Japanese Restaurants, Mexican Restaurants, Pho, Vietnamese Restaurants, What Cathy Eats!

The mmm-yoso!!! gang has been busy for the past few days, with work, holiday parties, shopping trips and other end of year tasks. Kirk and Ed (from Yuma) haven't had time to write and Cathy is writing a short, pertinent compendium today.

We have had some very cold days this month and today it is wet and windy: Winter has hit San Diego. Kirk mentioned this last week. If The Mister and I aren't staying home and cooking, when eating out, at least one of us is ordering a warm meal that is served in a bowl and has a spoon as an essential utensil.

Kirk had mentioned that Mama Testa was re-opening, but neither of us has done a post. I've had the chicken mojados here ($10): rolled taquitos, cut and topped with lettuce and sour cream with a mild, chicken based broth on the side; you can pour it over everything to make an interesting soup-type meal. (The beef mojados is beef rolled taquitos and a spicy, red broth). This is unique and tasty. Mama Testa 9225 Mira Mesa Blvd San Diego, CA 92126 website

The Bahn Mi Bo Kho ($7.50) at Lucky Seafood is indeed the best Vietnamese style beef stew; I have tried versions everywhere, planned on doing a comparison post and was frustrated with so many bad meals. Pho Lucky 9326 Mira Mesa Blvd San Diego, CA 92126

Whenever The Mister and I stop at Chopstix Too, He takes His time looking at the entire menu and always orders the same thing, mabo ramen ($7.45). Chopstix Too 4380 Kearny Mesa Road San Diego 92111 website
We were back at Pho Hoa Huong after grocery shopping (and looking for 2017 calendars) and stopped in for a large bowl of pho tai ($7.25) which arrived with the beef still raw and cooking in the hot, flavorful broth. Pho Hoa Huong 6921 Linda Vista Rd San Diego, CA 92111
Kirk had called his meals at Sam Woo BBQ 'early lunch'. The menu lists these under 'breakfast' ($4.25 each). I almost always order the fish porridge, but another choice is the shrimp dumpling noodle soup. Each is good and satisfying. Sam Woo BBQ 7330 Clairemont Mesa Blvd Ste 103 San Diego, CA 92111 An Item I haven't mentioned that is served at Tip Top Meats is the Beef Stew ($6.98). Made daily from scratch, limited in quantity, this rich, meaty, traditional stew is great. Tip Top Meats and European Delicatessen 6118 Paseo Del Norte Carlsbad, CA 92009 Website

Stay warm and dry!

Then again, you can just drop into a local grocer (this was at H-Mart) and grab something to enjoy at home.