Mexican Restaurants – Page 26

Miramar Fish Market & Seafood Grill-Chula Vista

October 23, 2012 Cathy Mexican Restaurants, Seafood, What Cathy Eats!

Miramar Fish Market & Seafood Grill is closed

Well, you have stumbled upon mmm-yoso!!!, the food blog. Kirk and ed(from Yuma) are just too busy to blog today, so Cathy is sharing a few virtual meals with you.

Well, I've found another place to satisfy my cravings. It's kind of a drive from East County, yet only five or six signal lights from either freeway exit, and worth it.

This rather plain façade in a newer mall on the East side of Broadway, one signal light South of Palomar in Chula Vista, may have been a place I would not necessarily stop. However, friend and fellow blogger caninecologne was kind enough to send me a 'Get One Free' coupon in June and one day, when The Mister and I were going to be driving South, I grabbed the coupon…you know, just in case I would be hungry.

The clean interior and fresh smelling fish display was inviting.

As were the photos of some of the meal choices, in addition to the rather large menu which was handed to us when we sat down.

The variety of hot sauces on the table, as well as the jarred condiments(limes, pickled red onions, a mild, chunky salsa and a smooth, fresh made chili based hot sauce) brought out with fresh corn chips was just a peek into the flavors we would soon experience.

On our first visit, we decided to share a fish tostada ($2.50) and our waitress was kind enough to just bring the ceviche on the plate and we supplemented it with the corn chips. This ceviche is available in the fish counter, is very fresh and really good.

The Mister ordered a "House Special", Filete de la Casa ($10.95)- a grilled fish topped with large sauteed shrimp, grilled mushrooms and vegetables. This was so fresh and perfectly flavored. It was served with tortillas, rice, beans and salad.

We were also served some seafood soup before our meals came out. As you can see, filled with fish and shrimp and in a rich broth.

I had ordered the Cabrilla Sarandeado ($11.99) A whole sand bass, split, covered with a mayonnaise/salsa mix and grilled….served on this GIANT (larger than the 15 inch laptop I am writing on right now) foil covered tray, along with the same sides and additionally grilled onions and jalapeños. So fresh and so very tasty.

So, a few weeks later, it was my birthday day and I knew what I wanted. This meal started with a pulpo (octopus) tostada ($3.50). There is a whole section of the menu with just octopus dishes- always fresh, since they seem to go through it quickly.

This is the medium Botaña ($9.95)- seafood combination snack/appetizer, but I made it my main course. Because it is huge. Octopus, half moon scallops, shrimp, sea snails. Fresh, just 'cooked' in lime juice accompanied by cucumber, avocado and topped with a nice chile salt.

The Mister chose the Empanizado filete ($9.95). Breaded and fried, this was a *very* large piece of fish, quite meaty and perfectly fried. It was served with the usual sides and was really good, crispy and didn't get soggy. Magic bread crumbs!

Just a few weeks ago, fellow bloggers and friends, Carol, caninecologne and I met up for a "C3 Bloggers Food Crawl" and our first stop was…yep…Miramar Fish Market. We each got a hearty cup of the seafood soup to start our meal. I am pretty sure it is the Seven Seas Soup, since this time there was octopus in the mix. I am going to order a bowl of this the next time; perfect in this chilly Autumn weather.

Here's an overhead of our meal selections, which we shared…the Culichi shrimp (at 1:00)($10.95)-I've been trying this cheese and poblano pepper sauce every time I get the chance. The version here has a nice kcik of heat from the poblanos. It's very satisfying…and the shrimp here are so large and not overcooked, providing a nice vessel for the sauce. The item at 11:00 is another "House Special"- the Filete Relleño ($11.95) another good sized fillet, grilled and 'stuffed with seafood' as well as topped with shrimp and a wonderful creamy sauce (you could say it was a Mornay, but there was no cheese… so, a white sauce that was creamy and well flavored on its own).

The third item, a large mixed seafood cocktail ($9.95) was so large and absolutely filled with shrimp and scallops in a wonderful tomato/lime sauce filled with onion/cilantro/cucumber and topped with a beautiful fanned avocado half.

Every meal here has been absolutely fresh and wonderful and enjoyed with either the Mister or friends and I want to eventually try the whole menu…

Miramar Fish Market & Seafood Grill 1655 Broadway Ave, Suite 12 Chula Vista 91911 (619)425-5504 Website

Eating on the hood of your car: Mariscos El Jefe Truck

October 14, 2012 mmm-yoso Food Trucks, Mexican Restaurants, Seafood

I've been shopping at the Northgate Market on the corner of 54th and University quite a bit. The Missus bought a new juicer and has been some interesting concoctions, several of which use nopales. The most disturbing one was nopales and beets which looked like bloody snot….but I digress. One day, Instead of heading just getting back onto 54th and my way home, I took a right on University and saw a pretty busy taco truck.

The selling point seemed to be the 99 cent fish tacos…which is quite cheap since most trucks, including my favorite have raised prices north of a buck. The seating area is a very small – four chair and no table makeshift looking set-up. So you really will be eating on the hood of your car here! The folks here were very friendly. One of the women started chatting with me….talking about favorite taco trucks…hers being El Kiki, while lamenting the crazy price of gas. The menu is interesting, the top half is in Spanish, the bottom half is the English translation.

I went the cheap route, two Tacos de Pescado.

The batter was on the soft side, with a hint of sweetness, a bit too spongy for my taste. Not much fish in this at all, but what do you expect for 99 cents? The crema had no taste and the tortillas….eh…

So that was it, right? Well, maybe not. I went shopping again this past weekend and was just plain starving. I decided to try some of the other stuff at El Jefe.

By the way, if you're ever looking for the cebollas, limes, and salsas, they're behind the gobernador door!

Speaking of gobernador, I got one of those and one of the spicy shrimp tacos. These looked quite a bit more hefty.

Both of these had things in common, both had cheese melted on the base of the tortilla to prevent the tacos from disintegrating. Both had some kick, though the spicy shrimp was surprisingly spicy. Both were two tortilla jobs, you could tell much more care was taken with these. The gobernador was the better of the two, but nowhere as good as others. The shrimp in both tacos were on the overcooked side as well. The spicy shrimp taco was interesting….I wasn't fond of the very finely diced cabbage mixed with crema. Though it served to buffer the heat, it was like dumping coleslaw all over a taco.

The shrimp were spicy, I wouldn't be surprised to learn that they use habaneros for this. The overall flavor was pretty one dimensional.

I'd say that El Jefe, wasn't quite "the boss" of Mariscos trucks in San Diego. Probably not in my top five. But like the woman said, "the price of gas now is so high, we have to find alternatives to driving to South Bay."

Mariscos el Jefe Truck
5599 University Ave

Escondido: El Tejate Restaurante

October 9, 2012 mmm-yoso Mexican Restaurants

The Missus was really missing the Mole Poblano from Los Pueblos and nothing could really solve the issue. So I thought it was about time that instead of heading to LA for Chinese, we'd just get out to Escondido and El Tejate, a Oaxacan restaurant….no it's not mole poblano, but Oaxaca is known for the complex mole negro, which I've been told several times is the most complex and difficult to make mole. I'd been wanting to go for a while. In fact, my good friends TFD and MrC actually stopped in the strip mall once, where I recall telling them about this place, but we just could never make it.

So on a lazy weekend morning, the Missus and I headed on up to Escondido and El Tejate, which of course is located in a strip mall, next to a Thai/Lao Market, a Thai Restaurant, and a Mediterranean place.

The restaurant itself doesn't look very large, but is fairly big as it is divided into two sections…the walls are painted in bright colors which added a nice contrast to the rather dark furnishings. We were waited upon by a very nice young lady, i'm thinking perhaps the daughter of the woman in the kitchen or the gentleman watching stuff on the laptop? This had the feel of a mom and pop place, the pace is relaxed and like a complex mole, it takes time.

There were some chips delivered with our menus; thick and crisp, though the "salsa" was seemed like straight up chilies scalded on the comal and blended with water.

We ended up ordering quite a bit, with things starting off with the Tlayuda, the folks here kindly made it with mole negro.

For the Missus the mole was love at first bite, we also thought the Quesillo – the Queso Oaxaca was pleasant, stringy like string cheese, with a tiny bit of milkiness like a very mild jack cheese. The Tlayuda is a large, thin tortilla, about 16 inches or so wide. The thickness is almost like the thinnest of thin crusts for pizza. It was both hard and chewy at the same time, and not really our thing. Though the Missus loved that mole.

I got the Enchiladas de Mole Negro ($10.50).

The mole seemed mild at first, but paying attention you'll quickly notice the complexity, first the nuttiness, then a mild sweetness, with clove-cinnamon hints, followed by a light sneaky heat. It was pretty rich stuff, I only finished one of the three enchiladas, but perhaps that's because I finished up the Tlayuda for the Missus. I enjoyed how the pungent onion cut through the richness, but the Missus thought it just interrupted the flavors. The chicken in the enchiladas was white meat and quite dry. The rice was very tasty……I would normally love this, but for some reason, it just didn't seem to go with the mole negro.

The Missus absolutely loved the Memilitas ($5).

The Missus was in masa heaven….these were like thinner sopes, with just a smear of tasty refried black beans and queso Oaxaca. Nicely moist and pliable enough to fold, these were missing just one thing for the Missus, you got it….mole negro. She availed Herself of the mole on my plate and wiped this out.

The last item that arrived was actually one of the appetizers….I just had to try the Chapulines ($8.95):

In case you don't know what Chapulines are, you can find out more here. And in case you want a close-up, you can see one up close and personal….here:

These were very well roasted and quite light…the flavor is like a very mild shrimp, though it was hard to tell because of the amount of tajinseasoning. Salty and puckery flavors, this is good beer food. If folks go expecting something outrageous they'll be disappointed, it's still quite good. We took most of it home and the Missus snacked on it until it was finished. Maybe next time we'll try the pusanos de maguey?

And there will definitely be a next time…the Missus is already craving that mole negro.

El Tejate Restaurante
205 W Mission Ave
Escondido, CA 92025

Open Daily 10am – 8pm

It’s been a while – revisits to Mama’s Bakery & Lebanese Deli and El Borrego for breakfast

October 5, 2012 mmm-yoso Lebanese Restaurants, Mexican Restaurants

Here’s a couple I haven’t done in quite a while….I mean quite a while.

Mama’s Bakery & Lebanese Deli:

Man, I did a post on Mama’s waaaay, waaaay back in August 2005! That would be over seven years ago! I have been back quite a few times since, but really just never thought about doing another post. Of course, in recent years, places like Alforon have over-shadowed Mama’s. I was trying to think of the last time I visited…..well, it was before the wall was painted red.

I also think the main thing I get at Mama’s, the Garlic Chicken Wrap was still under six bucks….it’s now $6.39, which in the current scheme of things is not out of line.

And though I find the wrap a little too thick and “bready” nowadays, when you get one that came fresh off the “sajj” hot with crisp bits, it’s still quite good. I’m finding the chicken, premade, wrapped in foil, and kept in a warming drawer a bit dry and somewhat scarcer too. Still, I love the garlic paste and for some reason the tangy hot sauce, which seems like Louisiana style hot sauce than anything else. The woman who puts these together has been there for it seems like forever and has always been nice to me.

In the end Mama’s is still “good grub” to me. Plus, luck was my side on this day; I scored parking close by……

Mama’s Bakery & Lebanese Deli
4237 Alabama St.
San Diego, CA 92104

El Borrego for Breakfast:

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

Here’s another one that I last posted on back in May of 2006. I’d been going to El Borrego once in a while since then, usually for something simple like just consomme, tortillas, and coffee for breakfast……who wants a post and photos on that? But our recent revisit to Ranas had me craving Huitlacoche….and just for you CAB, I’ll call it “corn smut” one more time. Anyway, El Borrego has Huitlacoche and even Flor de Calabaza quesadillas on the menu.

So I placed my order, two quesadillas ($2.50 each) and some Mexican Coffee…smooth, just lightly sugared, with hints of cinnamon. Nice way to start the day….

Eventually, my quesadillas made their way to my table…..with the black smudges of the huitlacoche strangely reminding of something, I’m not sure why.

The fillings were a bit less than Ranas, the huitlacoche here was not as well flavored, but still with that mushroom flavor with a mildly sweet finish. Even though the Flor de Calabaza (squash blossom) had less filling, it was less dry and had a bit more cheese and flavor than the version at Ranas.

Overall, a nice breakfast, just about everything on the menu is a la carte, so if you’re not careful, things can add up pretty quickly. Still the nice woman working here, Rodnia, is friendly…oh and that salsa rojo is pretty spicy too.

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

Ranas, revisited five years later

September 30, 2012 mmm-yoso Mexican Restaurants

**** Ranas has closed

Man, over five years…has it really been that long since we last visited Ranas? I'm not sure why we hadn't returned sooner….we've usually enjoyed our meals there, but the place just seems to slip our minds. Finally, last week I remembered Ranas and we headed out to Casa De Oro…..

Ranas really looks spiffed up, it looks like business has been good over the years, which made us happy. We've always had great service here.

As would be expected, prices have gone up over the years and there seem to be a few items I don't recall seeing on the menu before. There are also Mexican wines and even pulque on the specials board.

Our server, whom I recalled from before…half a decade younger and a few pounds lighter happily sat us outside, it was before this last heatwave hit and the evening air was just pleasant. While we mulled through the menu some chips and salsa were delivered…..

The chips were nice, firm and crisp, the salsa seemed mild but had a little zing that caught you later on.

We started with the Huitlacoche Quesadilla Plate ($10).

Called "black mushrooms" on the menu, which I guess is much better than the common American name…."corn smut". Huitlacoche is basically a fungus that affects corn….bad for the corn, good if you like earthy, woodsy, mushroom like flavors. Here it's sauteed with onions, and I believe there's some Epazote in this…I could make out the unique anise-mint flavor. The huitlacoche also seemed to have a hint of sweetness, something I really couldn't recall from eating it before.

The missus loved the nopales, which had a nice slight sour-green bean-citrus flavor and had been well seasoned.

The Missus also wanted the Flor de Calabaza Quesadilla Plate ($10):

Like the huitlacoche quesadillas this was served in blue corn tortillas….mild in flavor and griddled on the comal to have a bit of chewiness. That worked great on the latter in my opinion, but not so great here as this was pretty dry overall. I did appreciate the fact that it wasn't "over-cheesed" and the Missus enjoyed this, but it was on the dry and bland side for me.

The Pork Entomatado ($10) on the other hand, was definitely not bland, nor dry…..

This was my favorite of all the dishes I'd had at Ranas way back when….and I gotta say, it's still up there. Loved the tangy, tomato-chili sauce (they won't tell me what chilies they use for this), it has a nice smokiness and finished with a back of the throat heat. The pork is tender….but it could be cardboard for all I care. The nopales adds a nice texture and that "green" flavor that compliments the dish. The tortillas were typical store bought corn, but I really enjoyed those beans. The Missus doesn't care for frijoles refrito made from pinto beans, but after some encouragement had a taste and really liked this….there is some "special" flavoring ingredient in this…I'm pretty sure of that.

Overall, the service was very friendly. All the folks eating were having tortas, burritos, and stuff like that….but heck, they looked like they were all having a great time and if that pays the bills, so be it. So long they don't take the dishes we enjoy off the menu.

Ranas
9683 Campo Rd Ste A
Spring Valley, CA 91977

Delicias a la Lena- Oaxacan (El Cajon)

September 15, 2012 Cathy Mexican Restaurants, What Cathy Eats!

Hello. You have somehow navigated your way to mmm-yoso!!!, a food blog. Kirk as well as ed(from Yuma) are both busy with those end of Summer things and today Cathy writing and sharing another local wonderful eatery.

Well. I've mentioned before that everyone has a 'favorite' taco shop, close to home and close to work. People tell me about their favorite place and favorite items sold there. There's a long story as to how The Mister and I found Lena's; know we had this adventure on our own. The condensed version is we walked into the Liquor Store next to Kaelin's Mi Pueblo Market that had the words "carne asada" on the door, thinking they made tacos, found out they were selling carne asada in a freezer next to bags of ice cubes, asked the clerk if he knew of a place to buy some good ready to eat food and he directed us here:

Garcias Puebla Mercado. It's been here since 1995(I'll do the math for you: 17 years).We ordered two burritos, each weighed almost two pounds (there was a scale at the checkout). While we were waiting, we looked around the small store, saw many people coming in, picking up hot tortillas out of the wooden box on the floor, noticed ready made carne and chicken asada, signs for carnitas meals on Wednesday as well as barbacoa and birria meal specials on Friday, house made mole, salsas, hot carrots and fascinating other items. When we did go to the front to pay, the nice lady told us for really good food -Oaxacan Style- to go to the shop just across the street, about a half block North. Both the store and the shop are family owned and run.

Now, in this crowded strip mall, at the very North end, there is an orange and yellow striped taco shop; that's *not* where you want to go.

This is where you want to be. Notice the grill out front. Every day around 2 p.m., mesquite grilled chicken is ready.

For $10.99, you get a dozen hot tortillas, rice, black beans (nicely flavored, mostly whole and without lard), a choice of red or green salsa (I do like both; house made and a blend of complex flavors) and quite a large chicken. The chicken has that delightful mesquite smoked flavor, even the next day.

When you go inside the small restaurant, a large 99¢ menu is above the cash register,

as well as the 'regular' menu above the kitchen area. Order, pay and have a seat. The food will be brought out to you. There are five tables, 16 chairs. Small, clean and friendly.

On one of our visits, we ordered two each of the carnitas and carne asada tacos ($1 each). You can see the tacos were quite full with the meat, guacamole, cilantro, onions and Cotija cheese and both the red and green salsas were brought out. The fresh corn tortillas, which are from Garcia's across the street, are thick, layered and so very fresh.
Also, we tried the 'less than $1 menu', choosing a quesedilla and memelita – a small memela, a toasted masa cake , with a choice of red or green sauce) topped with more Cotija cheese.

The quesedilla, though small, was quite filled with melty white cheese- Oaxaca cheese.

One of my favorite items here-from the 'regular' menu, #17, a gordita ($1.99). This is a fresh made masa cake with a few black beans in the mix, fried then cut, filled on the top and bottom with those luscious black beans, a lot of shredded creamy Oxaca cheese, crema, lettuce and tomatoes. Crunchy, fresh, and something I never expected.

On one visit, we ordered a $1.99 memela (this time topped with red sauce; much larger than the 99¢ version, although I don't have a reference point in this photo to show you the sense of scale) and a 99¢ Tlacoyo (an oval shaped baked masa, filled with a layer of black beans, topped with a choice of sauce and Cotija cheese)

You can see the thin layer of beans in this cross section view; this simple 99¢ snack is just perfect. It's larger counterpart on the regular menu, the Tlayuda ($6.99), includes a choice of meats and is more than a meal for me.

We noticed "Tostilocos $2.99" sign in the front window and tried the version here. It's a vegetarian version- no cueritos. Good to satisfy a crunchy, salty, tamarind, spicy chamoy craving. (here's a link to my post about my favorite Tostilocos)

Here's a photo of another gordita ordered; you can see the fried then sliced crispy 'bun'. The other item is another tlacoyo, this time topped with the red sauce.

From the regular menu, #14 Mole negro ($5.99). We have been on the lookout for great home made mole ever since Los Pueblos had closed in May. We found it. Lena told us that it takes three women (all relatives) all day to make the mole used here and sold in the small market across the street. You can taste the variety of spices and so many flavors with every bite. The chicken leg had the smoky mesquite flavor which complimented the sauce. The enchiladas are also topped with this mole.

So many items all made from scratch, just like at home. Another great find in El Cajon.

Lenas is not your average Mexican restaurant, not a taco shop. At all.

Delicias a la Lena 1398 East Main Street (between Sultan Baklava and Kaelin's Market, other side of Main Street) El Cajon 92021 (619)590-1138

Garcias Puebla Mercado 1354 East Main Street 92021 (619)590-1416

Yesenia’s Taco Shop (Kearny Mesa)

August 12, 2012 mmm-yoso Mexican Restaurants, Taco Shops

**** Yesenia’s has closed

Right before I left for my trip home, I met my good friend Candice for lunch. I was really swamped and having lunch with someone who’s great company like Candice just makes the whole day better. With so much on my mind, I really drew blanks when it came to where we’d grab lunch. Luckily, one of Candice’s friends recommended a place I’d driven past dozens of times on Clairemont Mesa Boulevard….a taco shop called Yesenia’s.

I gotta say…..this place sure is a bright orange…..

The menu seemed fairly huge and overwhelming, though the young lady behind the counter was very friendly. There were several interesting items on the menu and we ordered a bunch of stuff.

Starting with some Aguachile.

First off, the slices of avocado looked like it was headed South. Not a bad sign, but somewhat ominous if you’ll be eating raw shrimp “cooked” in lime. The shrimp indeed tasted a bit fishy, it hadn’t gone bad yet, but it seemed headed in that direction. The marinade was very mild with regards to aguachile….I expect bracing citrus tones and a good deal of heat, but this was almost bland. To be perfectly fair, this tasted much better at the end of the meal when the shrimp had been in the marinade for about half an hour.

I really didn’t care for the Chicken Mole either.

The chicken was quite dry and the mole lacked the wonderful complex spice tones that I enjoy in a mole poblano.

I liked the beans, though….nicely seasoned.

Things started looking up when we tried the menudo.

As far as I can recall, this was full on tripe and not much else. It was also the least funky menudo that I’ve ever had. The tripe was well prepared, light crunch, but not tough or hard. I wish the broth had been seasoned more aggressively…..it needed salt, hot sauce, and a good amount of oregano would have helped too. Nice tripe though…….

In my opinion, the last item was the best…….fish rolled tacos, something I’d usually not think of ordering.

It really didn’t look like much, but the fish had a nice flavor which came through very clearly. The shell was nice and crisp and the fish moist. Cabbage instead of lettuce is a good choice, it added a mild earthy-bitterness to the whole deal. I’d have this again…….

The funniest little snippet of a conversation we had was when I asked what her friends favorite item here was…..Candice smiled and sheepishly replied, “Carne Asada fries……” Ha! It just cracked me up…… I did tell her that, if her foodie……or in this case beerie (??? what do you call those folks?) buddy really thought this was the best carne asada fries I’d check them out….really.

So…..being a man of my word, I returned after my trip, and stepped into the wonderful orange glow of Yesenia’s.

And ordered up something I hadn’t had in maybe….I dunno, five years???

Carne Asada fries ($6.55). The carne asada was fairly tough, though decently flavored…perhaps better than your friendly neigborhood ‘berto’s. The guac was decent, it added some creaminess to the whole deal….I’m still not a real big fan of sour cream on this. I really did like the fries, which were very competently fried……not greasy and crisp. For some reason, this didn’t feel like the gut-busting, hollow-leg filling, burp fest that I recall CAFs being. I enjoyed the various salsas here as well…….

This location of Yesenia’s gets really busy around noon and after looking over all the breakfast items, I read they open at like 530 in the morning. That said, I’m not sure if I’ll return anytime soon…..though I’m now curious, since I’ve gotten a couple of CAF recommendations over the years……what shop makes the best CAFs???? Just for future reference of course……

Yesenia’s Taco Shop
8199 Clairemont Mesa Blvd
San Diego, CA 92111

TJ Oyster Bar- great seafood, but no oysters, in Bonita

July 30, 2012 Cathy Mexican Restaurants, Seafood, What Cathy Eats!

Yes, you have found mmm-yoso!!!, the food blog. Kirk has stuff to do, ed (from Yuma) has places to go and Cathy is blogging about a place to eat.

I mentioned in a prior post that in December I had met up with fellow food bloggers and friends, canine cologne, Dennis and Carol, for a food crawl around South County- Chula Vista and Bonita. Of the many places we stopped at that day, our first was here-where I took this photo of the exterior. In December.

As I tend to be cautious about writing about any place until I have returned a few times, all the food in this post was consumed at this location, in a small mall on the same block just West of the McDonald's near Otay Lakes Road on Bonita road.

However, I do know the small storefront will be moving soon to just East of the McDonald's (and the Vons) in this same block very soon. The new location looks a lot larger. In any case, the food here is excellent and the lines out the door may be diminished with the new building.

In December, we sat at the front counter, which consists of six stools, to enjoy some tastes of what is offered at this primarily seafood Mexican restaurant.

We shared a large coctele and fish tacos. Everything was fresh and tasty and I wanted more, but in retrospect was glad we kept along on our crawl, because this was just the first of so many new-to-me places that day.

The fish taco was beer battered, not heavy and the fish was light, flaky and tasty. The coctele-

had plenty of octopus in it (there were no oysters that day, despite the name of the place) and a very refreshing tomato-lime-cilantro sauce that the seafood was melding in.

I had to return with The Mister a few times.

One day we went, before crowds showed up and shared a fish ceviche tostada ($2.75) and a shrimp ceviche tostada ($3.50). Each of the ceviches were made to order and so crispy-fresh tasting. The respective seafoods were citrus-tangy and you could still taste the respective 'meats'. I have returned just for ceviche, which is really nice on these hot Summer days.

Of course we realized at some point that the fish tacos are 99¢ every day and ordered two on another visit. We basically drive by and if there is a parking space, we stop, otherwise we haven't, because the parking lot is an indicator of available table space. I think the seating capacity inside is about 20.

I had been curious about the "Pescadilla" part of the menu and on another visit, we ordered the $7.50 Mariscos/Seafood Pescadilla. It's a quesedilla, filled with sauteed seafood. Buttery, garlicy sauteed seafood. Served with rice, this is way more than a meal for one. Very rich, very filling, and now a regular order.

As of now, at the current location, the menu is on the wall and the cash register, where you order and pay, is right in front of you when you walk in the door. I hope the menu and quality of food at the new location stays the same.

TJ Oyster Bar 4246 Bonita Road 91902 (619)267-4577

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

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

La Casa del Maiz has closed.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Basically a tortilla factory

which sells a few other related items

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

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

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

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

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

Neat and clean, there is seating for 60 inside.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

El Zarape seven years later…….

July 20, 2012 mmm-yoso Mexican Restaurants, Seafood, Taco Shops

Ed from Yuma recently mentioned in his post on Sea Rocket Bistro, that we've been doing this for over seven years…..sheesh! I recently saw a comment on an old post of mine wondering why I hadn't posted on El Zarape(the original) in over seven years. so I thought I'd better get this done before another seven passes…….

Seven years is a fairly long time. I'm trying to think what was going on back in 2005…..it sure was a different landscape back then, social media was in it's infancy, we thought Flickr was the best thing since sliced bread…it was "BiP"….."Before iPhone". And that was also the last time I'd eaten at El Zarape.

This was before I'd eaten at all those lonchera's, before I'd experienced birria, before I'd had decent mariscos. I couldn't help but wonder how El Zarape as aged over those years. Curiousity warranted a visit.

And the place looked just about the same……….. I know that the "purists" now sneer at El Zarape, at the soy, wasabi, and buffalo chicken burritos. For some reason, the thought of having an "Aloha Burrito" sends shivers up my spine. Yet, I recall, many of those who now criticize El Zarape were head over heels when Luche Libre opened…….

I was pretty pleased to see that EZ's loss leader, the fish taco is still 99 cents, the same price it was when I first ate here in 2001.

Heck, Mariscos el Prieto couldn't even hold their price at a buck for more than a couple of months and the tacos de pescado at Mariscos el Pescador hasn't seen that price in my memory. Truth be told, I'd still pay quarter more to eat at those two trucks than the fish tacos at El Zarape. I'm still not a fan of the crema and the fish was o the dry side with a not so tasty blood line in it. Still, it's hard to argue with 99 cents……..

El Zarape makes up their profit margin with their other menu items. I decided to have a scallop and shrimp taco ($3.25/each) here as well.

The scallops seemed kind of sparse and were really bland and rubbery…..it doesn't even stand up to the tortilla in flavor. Not a good value at over three bucks as well.

I've always enjoyed the shrimp at El Zarape, so I wondered how that would be.

I counted six shrimp, which looked like 41/50, maybe about 2-3 ounces. They were nicely browned on the griddle, moist and tender. Decent shrimp flavor…….maybe better than I had back in '05, though that was a looooong time ago.

I'm hoping not to take another seven years before I'm back at El Zarape. Thought it's been far surpassed, they're still truckin' along and they still have a faithful neighborhood following.

El Zarape
4642 Park Blvd
San Diego, CA 92116

Hours:
Mon 8 am – 11 pm
Tue-Sun 8 am – 2 am