Road Trip – Page 26

Roadtrip two-fer part 1: Song Long Restaurant – Westminster (Orange County)

April 25, 2013 mmm-yoso Orange County, Road Trip, Vietnamese Restaurants

Time sure flies. Back in mid-February, the Missus and I did a two-fer road trip to Little Saigon. Both destinations were recommendations. The first was made by "Kha" commenting on this post. It was in regards to Cha Ca Thang Long, which is basically fish which uses two items not often mentioned with regards to Vietnamese cuisine; dill and tumeric. The dish is a specialty of Hanoi and we ate it at Cha Ca Thang Long Restaurant in Hoan Kiem District. We've had it at what I thought were the two, Vien Dong and Ha Noi best Cha Ca restaurants in the Little Saigon area. So when Kha mentioned a place called Song Long, which someone else inquired about before, mt curiosity was piqued. Kha then added that he'd had Cha Ca Thang Long at the namesake restaurant in Hanoi as well and his parents thought the Cha Ca at Song Long was better, well…….

Song Long Restaurant:

The interior of the place look like a diner/coffee shop and there was a funny combination Tet/Valentine's day display that was hilarious.

The menu is French influenced Vietnamese, with Bun Cha on one page and Nicoise Salad on the next. Since this arrived just after we sat down, I guess everyone get some bread.

Of course we got the Cha Ca Thang Long ($16.95) and guess what?

This was really good. The fish, which we were told was catfish, something that I usually won't order in the US, wasn't muddy tasting in the least. Tender and moist….and with a lot less oil than the stuff in Vietnam which is literally swimming in two inches of oil, topped with a liberal amount of fried shallots and dill, and a base of onions was delish with the huge amount of the usual suspects of bun, fresh herbs, and vegetables. The mam nem, a heady and wonderful mixture of fermented shrimp paste, a touch of chili, a sweet component, and acid was addictive and the Missus couldn't get enough.

So Kha, as far as we're concerned, your parents are totally right about the Cha Ca Thang Long.

Curiosity got the better of me as along with the fish I ordered the Escargots de Bourgogne ($6.95). Vietnamese love their snails and whelks so I expected this to be pretty good, but it was not.

This was rather cold, the herb butter greasy, and the snails were beyond rigor mortis. This was not good eats.

Overall, the service was decent, not particularly attentive, but this was Bolsa Avenue, so I didn't expect much. I'll be back for the cha ca thang long…..and I saw a bowl of Banh Mi Bo Kho walked pass me that was calling out to me. No more snails though.

Song Long Restaurant
9361 Bolsa Ave Suite 108
Westminster, CA 92683

Hours:
Open Daily 9am – 10pm

Thanks for the recommendation Kha! Thank your parents as well, they know how to pick 'em.

As you can tell, we really didn't load up here as we had another stop after this one.

Stay Tuned!

Roadtrip: Brodard Restaurant – Garden Grove (Orange County)

April 7, 2013 mmm-yoso Orange County, Road Trip, Vietnamese Restaurants

The Missus and I got up pretty early after spending the night in Hacienda Heights. After some contemplation, we decided to head on to Little Saigon for some breakfast then head on home. The Missus was missing Da' Boyz and all that.

We decided to stop in at a place we hadn't been to in years, the renowned Brodard's.

We always think about stopping in when we're in the area, but the place is usually packed to the gills with several lines, folks practically tripping over each other, the service being very perfunctory as the folks working here often seem like they are just trying to survive. Frankly, I'm too old for the circus.

But, since it we got there right when they opened (8am), the place looked like this. I bet you've never seen Brodard's this empty, have you?

There used to only be one reason for coming to Brodard's. It was for the Nem Nuong Cuon and the Chao Tom Cuon, the pork sausage and the shrimp paste spring rolls.

It had been years and I wondered if Brodard had aged well. We ordered the combination ($7), which included two of each.

There was of course, the signature crisp egg roll wrapper in the center of the spring roll, which adds wonderful texture and is also a sign that these are made to order. The wrapping is done perfectly, neither too tight and stretched like Joan River's face, nor too loose and falling apart.

There was one thing I did notice. For some reason, both the shrimp paste and the nem nuong seemed really bland. It seems like something had changed over the last, oh, almost a decade. I can't put my finger on it, but these were nowhere as tasty as I recall.

The Missus really wanted to try the Banh Khot ($6.95) and I'm happy we did.

The Banh Khot were light and crisp, the shrimp moist and plump. The Missus went crazy with the greens and herbs and really enjoyed Herself. I thought this was an enjoyable version of Banh Khot. I'd gotten used to dry and tired looking Banh Khot and this was definitely not that. I'm thinking that arriving before the mad crush of bodies may have been to our benefit this time around.

We had a decent meal and made it back home before lunch.

Brodard Restaurant
9892 Westminster Ave
Garden Grove, CA 92844

Roadtrip: Take-out from Shufeng Garden and Easy Earthen, plus some other stuffs

April 4, 2013 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants, Los Angeles County, Road Trip

**** Both Shufeng Garden and Easy Earthen have closed

As I mentioned in my Tasty Noodle House/Torrance Farmer's Market post, we had decided to spend the night in Hacienda Heights on the way home from Vegas. We didn't plan much at all, we had lived in the area for a good chunk of time, long enough for it to be considered to be perhaps my "third home". We just wanted to see what the neighborhood was like over a decade later. Sure, we've stopped by quite a number of times over the years, but we've never spent a good amount of time in the area since we left.

We both felt sluggish and tired, Vegas has a way of just sucking the energy right our of us. So the Missus thought it would be a nice idea to just do take-out and eat in our room. We'd take a drive and maybe even a walk after dinner.

I successfully lobbied for some of my favorite take-out in the area; from Shufeng Garden. So we drove on over, placed our order and since this was one of those "just eat as much as you want" moments, we walked less than a block over and went to Easy Earthen, Earthen Restaurant's smaller, more "fast-casual/take-out" shop. There was a funny moment at Easy Earthen….the Missus just naturally spoke mandarin to anyone in a Chinese restaurant in Rowland/Hacienda Heights. She walked up to the counter and spoke to the young lady behind the counter, who replied, "oh, sorry, I don't speak Chinese". The Missus was so thrown off She just said "oh" and walked away from the counter! We had noticed some subtle changes in the neighborhood, like more folks actually walking, but this, a Chinese who spoke no Mandarin or Cantonese, this was something totally different for us. I gave the young lady the knowing "third generation" look and proceeded to order. It was nice seeing old haunts; Nijiya was still there, though some, like the Albertson's on the corner of Colima and Azusa were gone.

We made our way back to the room and dug in. Of course, the Missus doesn't eat chicken, so I had the entire half "Shandong Chicken" to myself. This was good, but even with an entire container of sauce, it just didn't have the assertive tones that I recalled. It tasted watered down. The chicken was good though, fairly tender.

The stuff from Shufeng was as good as always and we finished everything………

Easy Earthen
18303 Colima Rd
Rowland Heights, CA 91748

Shufeng Garden
18459 Colima Road
Rowland Heights, CA 91748

Feeling fat and happy after dinner, we took a short walk to the 99 Ranch Market on Azusa where I always used to see the most interesting "Engrish" signs, the best one being a very interesting rendition of "six pack coke", you can imagine how they spelled "coke", right? Of course they didn't let me down. I'm sure this was just for old time's sake:

I think someone should buy them a vowel. Though if you said it "Bunnuts andsedsandberries" it sounds kinda neat.

The area is constantly changing, old businesses leaving, new ones coming along, like the new 85 C Bakery. Here's one that caught our eye.

Maybe next time……

Roadtrip: Torrance Farmer’s Market and a revisit to Tasty Noodle House (San Gabriel)

March 20, 2013 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants, Farmer's Markets/Night Market, Road Trip

The Missus and I had a great time in Vegas and our time there ended on a high note. When we initially made plans for our short jaunt to Las Vegas, we thought we'd do what we've done before, make a quick stop in the SGV for a meal then hit the road home. But after thinking things through, we decided to spend a night in Hacienda Heights. After all, we lived in the area for a good chunk of time. It would be nice for old times sake. We also decided to do some of the things we used to do on a Saturday……that would be hit the Torrance Farmer's Market. So we left Vegas at around 545am and made it to the Torrance Farmer's Market in no time at all!

I've already posted on the Torrance Farmer's Market three times already, so I'll spare you a rehash of the same old story……

Ice chest full of produce, we stopped and topped off the gas tank and headed to San Gabriel.

I'd been craving the Tianjin Baozi from Tasty Noodle House for a while, so that's where we stopped for lunch.

Remember, it was still January, so the Missus was still in the mood for soup and ordered the Suan Cai Yang Rou – Sour Vegetable and Lamb soup which was both warming and cleansing, if not super good.

I prefer mine a bit more sour and salty…..but this did fine.

Of course we got the Tianjin Baozi, which was just as I recall, yeasty aroma, light and fluffy, with a light, yet tasty pork filling.

Just the fragrance takes me back to China.

Seems like everyone who eats here orders this. A guy comes in, has one order for lunch, then proceeds to get five orders to go. Though I don't think you really the full enjoyment of these after reheating.

I could probably eat this a couple of times a week.

Tasty Noodle House
827 W Las Tunas Dr
San Gabriel, CA 91776

After lunch we took our time driving up to Rowland Heights and wandered around the neighborhood…..up and down the streets we used to drive on often….Nogales, Harbison, Azusa, Colima….. We checked into the Courtyard a bit early and got a nap in…..then it was dinner time of course!

Las Vegas: Dinner at Sage

March 12, 2013 mmm-yoso American/New American Restaurants, Fine Dining, Las Vegas, Memorable Meals, Road Trip

What to do after two lunches in Vegas? Well, I guess a walk up the strip was in order. I parked at Aria, took the tram to the Bellagio, then headed up the strip. At Fashion Show Mall, where the Missus had checked out the latest from Lululemon the night before, I crossed the street and headed back.

On the way back, I decided to kill a couple of minutes at Harrah's, a place where I've had some luck in the past. I ended up making about $200 and decided it was time to flee…..

For our final dinner in Vegas, the Missus decided that we should do sort of a blow-out meal. Unfortunately, just about every place I wanted was booked, Guy Savoy, Joel Robuchon, even Picasso, no bueno. My fifth pick was Sage, in the Aria. I'd heard some nice things about the place and it seemed a lot less assuming than the other four. Years ago, when Michelin Stars and stuff like that really mattered to us, we'd have been disappointed. But after doing The French Laundry, Spago, et al, the Missus and I decided that stuff really isn't for us. Some of it was stuffy and rather pretentious and you can get to the point where you're describing the food like a science project, not my style. But hey…..every once in a while you gotta live, right? And Sage really isn't that expensive.

We arrived right when they opened at 5. Though you might take a risk with the kitchen not being in full swing….they haven't hit their rhythm yet, I still prefer a more relaxed time. And though things might get kind of hectic at the tail end of your meal, you at least have enjoyed most of your meal.

We were the second party seated and our Server, who introduced himself as "Bond, as in you know…." was a pro's pro. He was also quite a character…..we came to find out his name was Jason Bond. Next up was what and how to order. You see, I wanted the Chef's Tasting Menu with the Beer Pairing, the Missus did not. And I understand the issues with pacing and all of that. If you're getting six courses and the person across from you is just getting an app and a main, well there's going to be a lot of dead time for the person having the conventional meal. Again, we plan for the win-win. So when I explained to Mr Bond that only one of us would like the six course tasting, he tried to discourage us from doing that. Until I explained our proposal. I'd get the six course with the beer pairing and the Missus would get five starters. In essence we'd be creating our own little tasting menu. We've often found starters to be more interesting than mains in many cases. Bond got really excited about this and told us it was a great idea, he went to check with the kitchen, who he said was "excited about this". I don't know about that, but we also told him to have the kitchen sequence the starters any way they please….which would mean that it would indeed be like having our own tasting menu.

Things started out with what looked like Himalyan salt and a herb butter. We were shown the bread basket and the two different breads. The serious looking, but really funny young man said, "I think you should each take both." In the end we took one of each. We knew we had a pretty rich meal in front of us.

The sour dough was decent, nice textures. The bacon roll; well, we were tempted to get another.

We were brought an amuse of a Kumamoto Oyster with Tequila Mignonette, and Piquillo Pepper.

The mignonette had a nice tartness to it, very cleansing. Love the sweetness of Piquillo Peppers, I'll probably have to buy some one of these days.

When we had finished up the oyster, the first beer of our tasting arrived. This was a St Feuillien Saison from Belgium. Very crisp, with a nice, almost sweet aroma. This was very easy to drink, light and airy. We also noted that the temperature of the beer was just right on perfect.

This was paired with the Chilled Main Lobster. The brown butter added a nice nuttiness to the dish, making it seem a lot lighter than it was. The Missus is not a big lobster fan, but this lobster was wonderfully sweet and very tender.

The Missus got the Wagyu Beef Tartare ($18).

This was very good. The creamy lightly poached egg yolk just added that extra luxurious texture to the very fatty, melt in your mouth Wagyu Beef. Two interesting touches, the pickled mustard seeds which helped to cut the richness and the savory crisp chocolate made this dish just that much better.

Next up was an interesting dish, the Foie Gras Brulee. Tasting the combinations of flavors in this was rather unpleasant for me as I thought it way too sweet.

Though I loved the salted brioche, the brulee was too much like having candy and pudding for dinner. Great when you're in elementary school, but not after. The cocoa nibs did act to settle things down and take it into a more savory-coffee direction, but it was just too much, until…… I tried this with the beer pairing.

This dish was pared with the Dogfish Head Midas Touch. The Missus loved it as well, it has a mead-like texture and that honey like flavor. There some fruitiness to it and the Missus enjoyed that component….I'm thinking that is probably due to the use of muscat grapes in the making of this. It's a favorite beer of our now. This just seemed to take that sharp sweet edge off the Foie Gras Brulee. To me, this was an awesome pairing.

The Missus got the Grilled Spanish Octopus ($22):

You wouldn't have thought this was octopus if you looked at it. Bond told us they removed the suckers and such so as to "not scare the customers". The octopus was very tender, but this wasn't especially memorable.

My next dish was the Pan-Roasted Sea Scallop. Man, the Jamon Iberico, mild salty-sweet, along with the creamy sunchoke-parsley root, and the olive oil made for a wonderful match.

Scallop and cured pig, a match made in heaven….there should be a children's book by that name, don't you think?

This was paired with another beer from Belgium, Duvel. Very fizzy, clean, with what seems like a bit of spice, this didn't mess with the flavor of the scallops.

The Missus got Her second favorite dish of the evening; the Slow Poached Organic Farm Egg($18), which was almost obscured from view by all the shaved truffles.

The Missus just loved this, even the potato foam and the smoked potato. She was in egg-truffle heaven.

Next up was a very nice Venison Tenderloin. This might just be some of the most tender venison I've ever had.

You could really taste the venison in this dish. The combination of flavors was very pleasant.

Loved the pairing, the Ayinger Celebrator Doppelbock looked really heavy, but was not. Has a raisin-chocolate, earthy flavor which goes well with the gamey venison.

Just to prove that there is too much of a good thing, we were stunned at the huge portion size of the Roasted Sweetbreads ($17).

The dish started out really good…especially the sweet and smokey glazed bacon, which was a like a nice smoked pork belly. The sweetbreads were good at first, not the best I've had, they could have been a bit more, well, gooey on the inside. But man, after a couple of bites of this rich stuff, you pretty much wanted to hoist up the white flag. I'd prefer it more lightly fried….and that portion size was quite large for sweetbreads. And yes TFD, these are thymus glands.

Our last two savory dishes were very good. The 48 Hour Beef Belly, was rich, but the roasted quince and the caraway spiced squash helped temper things.

This was served with a Chimay Grande Reserve which was very fruity, perhaps a bit too fruity for my taste.

The Missus's last dish was the Braised Beef Tongue ($19). All I can say is that this was outstanding. Looking all the world like it would be on the waxy side, this was tender to the touch. The celery moved the dish forward by cutting the richness as did the apple cider based sauce. This had the rich, slightly gamey flavor of well made beef tongue.

Our palates were given a nice respite with "Zambuca Caviar"…….

Somebody in the kitchen is playing with spherification! I'm usually not a big fan of sweet anise flavors, but this really did the trick.

I really couldn't do much after this so the Missus had the Grapefruit Semifreddo.

Dessert also came with a hard cider, a Eric Bordelet, Sidre Doux Tendre from France which the Missus really enjoyed. I ordered another Midas Touch as my dessert.

The Missus and I really enjoyed our dinner at Sage. The staff made us feel comfortable. When I told "Bond" that we'd be exchanging plates and sharing, he encouraged it. The service was excellent, efficient, but not hovering nor stuffy. We had a great time……the GM of the restaurant even came over to chat. We never felt rushed and the meal was well paced, clocking in at just a tad over 2 hours. The bill wasn't too bad either. I gave you all the prices for the starters. The Chef's Tasting Menu clocks in at $120, the beer tasting an extra $50, so we're talking about $300 total. I'm kind of glad that my other four choices didn't pan out……

Sage in Aria Resort and Casino
3732 Las Vegas Blvd South
Las Vegas, NV 89109

Roadtrip: Beijing Pie House – Monterey Park (Los Angeles)

March 3, 2013 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants, Los Angeles County, Road Trip

Back in October, I had a chance to grab a bite with one of my favorite couples, Kirbie and her DH. As always, conversation always drifts toward food. One of the places that Kirbie recommended was Beijing Pie House in Monterey Park (read her post here). So on our next trip to the SGV, we made sure to check the place out.

We had stopped by China Islamic right before our visit here, so we knew it wasn't going to be a gigantic meal.

We arrived pretty early and the dining area was empty except for a guy who I'll designate as the loudest slurper and chewer I've heard. We could hear him smacking his lips all the way on the other side of the room.

We could actually see flecks of food flying from his mouth as he spoke while chewing. His dining companion left the table for a good long time…..probably to remove all the detritus from her hair.

The young man who served could not have been nicer. The Missus found him adorable…..mainly because he spoke Mandarin with a very formal "American" accent.

The Missus has an affection for the various porridges she grew up eating…….which includes the cornmeal based version here.

As for the various Xian Bing….

They were nice enough to serve us a combination vegetarian XB.

Two radish and two "combination".

First off, these "pies" had a nice crust, crisp, but not oily. The filling were also moist….

The radish version was probably my favorite……the bitterness of the radish had been tempered when cooked……

Creating a nice chew with a balance of the pungent and sweetness.

The combination featured mushroom and bean curd with a good amount of seasoning. Though on the salty side, this was still good.

Since we love lamb and mutton, we also ordered the lamb pie……

These didn't quite do it for us. In terms of texture and preparation, we both thought, the Xian Bing were prepared well.

With regards to flavor, we thought this on the weak side…it could have been pork or any other protein, the distinctive flavor of lamb was missing.

I understand that there are those who don't enjoy the "flavor of the pasture", but I still think lamb should taste that way. When it is too tame….well, you might as well get anything else.

Still, the Xian Bing were well prepared, the service was nice. I wouldn't hesitate in returning.

Beijing Pie House
846 E Garvey Ave
Monterey Park, CA 91755

Las Vegas: Lunch at Three Villages and checking out some of the markets

March 2, 2013 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants, Las Vegas, Markets & Grocers, Road Trip, Xiao Long Bao

After having some poke from Hawaaian Style Poke in the parking lot of 99 Ranch Market, I realized it was still too early to check out my "lunch stop". So what better to do then check out 99 Ranch Market? In fact, after walk around 99 Ranch Market, I drove up the street and had a look-see at 168 Market, which wasn't around the last time we visited Vegas.

The set-up of this 99 Ranch Market reminded me of the Irvine location.

Items are a bit more expensive here as well. Love the Engrish signs as well…..

Further up the street is 168 Market, which I thought was the cleanest of the three I visited.

I left 168 and jumped into my car and headed over to the plaza that housed Shun Fat Market. On the second floor is a Shaghainese Restaurant called Three Villages that had been mentioned to me a couple of times.

The set-up was a bit odd; at least for me. The "front" or street facing entrance is locked and really is just a large sign. You have to go around the corner and fine the entrance and the place almost looks vacated.

But of course it wasn't……..the place was empty when I arrived though. I had to call out to check if they were actually in business.

Ordering was pretty simple. I'd come here for the Xiao Long Bao. I did make it a "combo" for a buck more and got some soup….a very plain soup with bean thread and tofu.

Actually this kind of plain, but hearty soup is the kind of thing the Missus likes….me, not so much. I will say that it was a pretty large amount of soup.

The XLB arrived soon after. First thing I noticed was how doughy and thick looking the wrappers were.

Still, I'm not the biggest fan of the over-worked, very thin wrappers and these ended up having a decent light stretch to them…..I still thought they were a bit on the thick side.

The filling was disappointing. Since they only have straight up pork XLB, I didn't expect a great range of flavors from the soup, but this was pretty weak, lacking in a good pork flavor and having no sweetness what so ever. The filling also had some hard bits as well.

Still better than anything in San Diego though. That's really not saying much…..

Three Villages Restaurant
5115 W Spring Mountain Road
Las Vegas, NV 89103

After lunch I headed downstairs and had a little stroll through Shun Fat Market.

Since I was headed back to our room, I picked up a couple of Suan Nai for breakfast.

Just walking through these three markets you could notice things. The cleanest and busiest was 168. Both 168 and 99 Ranch Market actually listed the origin of their seafood, SF did not. The least cleanest was SF. I also saw a woman pick up a fish with her hands at SFM, then after putting it back she washed her hands….in the tank holding the clams! As I walked to my car in the strip mall, I smelled an acrid odor that everyone knows…..I saw the pool of liquid near the stairs. Unlike the seafood in SFM, I knew the country of origin of this liquid….. "urine-nation". Yikes.

Las Vegas: Around the Strip and Honey Salt

February 11, 2013 mmm-yoso American/New American Restaurants, Las Vegas, Road Trip

I am without a doubt somewhat of a creature of habit, there are certain "rituals" that I follow……in Vegas after dropping the Missus off, I'll take a walk up and down the strip to see what's new. I'll usually do this in the morning to avoid the crowds. It had been four years since our last trip here and for me, the biggest change was the massive City Center complex…..

Things had shifted a bit since our last visit….there are now a good number of suite-style offerings; larger rooms, small kitchens, away from the hustle, bustle, cigarette smoke, and noise of the casinos.

We actually stayed at the Fairfield, not quite on the strip, good sized rooms, and away enough from it all to kind of chill. It was easy to get to the strip though….the shuttle to the Mandalay Bay, the tram to Excalibur, a short walk through Monte Carlo to the tram station from Aria to the Bellagio…..

Soon enough you're staring at the Paris……

Which was enough time for me to head back and catch the shuttle at New York, New York, back to the Fairfield.

As for lunch; well, I usually go off the strip. I'd heard about a newer place in Summerlin, that did…well, that much too often used description, "farm to table comfort cuisine"……yet it came highly recommended. So I took that 20 minute drive. I'm sure the distance really wasn't that bad, it just seemed that way. The restaurant, named Honey Salt, was tucked away in the corner of a strip mall…..

Looking very unassuming from the outside, this place was really happening….so many "women doing lunch". It reminded me of places I've been in say, Scottsdale or Buckhead in Atlanta….. The Hostess was very nice telling me they would have a table for me in a few minutes….but I opted for the mellow bar area……

Which must have been fate….I asked the bartender if "it's okay if I sit here…." His response? "Eh, you from Hawaii, huh?" We call "Vegas" the "9th Island", so many visit and so many have moved there…you can't help but run into someone from "home". And once he introduced himself as "Bozo"…..I knew he was the real deal. This was going to be a great lunch……regardless of the food.

Anyway, beyond the pleasantries…..there were many of the typical, "whea' you from" discussions…, eventually things headed to the menu. I had a couple of things in mind, Harissa crusted strip steak salad and Big Eye Tuna Tartar with Crunchy Quinoa came to mind. But MrB told me the two most popular dishes, at least on his watch, which led me to order items I would never had considered.

Starting with the Turkey Meatballs ($9)…….really, turkey meatballs, when was the last time I ordered these? Try never…..

Caramelized onions and a touch of horseradish added some sweetness and pungency. And though the acid was a bit too much, I gotta say, these were the most moist and tender turkey meatballs I've ever had…literally melting in my mouth. You could easily have mistaken them for veal.

For my main, Bozo told me the Biloxi Buttermilk Fried Chicken Sandwich ($13) was the best seller.

The chicken was very moist, though I would have appreciated a bit more "crunch" to it. The brioche was mildly buttery without being too sweet. The slaw completed without overpowering and added a bit more texture to the sandwich.

Actually, I really enjoyed the salad….the kale and edamame really balanced things out…to the utter joy of the Missus who eats and juices kale by the bushel.

I actually enjoyed the food here more than Urban Solace……

Of course, during our meal, another "Bruddah" stopped by for take-out….what can you say? In the end this was a nice meal made better by eating at the bar and talking to another ex-pat Kama'aina and also the young lady from South Africa who convinced Bruddah Bozo (in slang that means "Boy"), a third generation "Bozo", that he needed to check out Lotus of Siam soon. I also got a nice tip on grabbing some poke too…….

Honey Salt
1031 S Rampart Blvd
Las Vegas, NV 89145

Curly Jones Cafe- when the traffic is bad, take the exit. (Norwalk)

February 7, 2013 Cathy American/New American Restaurants, Breakfast/Brunch, Road Trip, What Cathy Eats!

Here you are, back at mmm-yoso!!! This blog is about food. Sometimes, like today, it's a diary of why, where and what. Other days it's blog/diary about who, when and how as well as hundreds of other combinations of those interrogatives. Kirk is busy, ed (from Yuma) is also busy; Cathy is writing.

One recent weekend, The Mister and I were headed North and hit a terrible patch of traffic somewhere on the older (three lane section) of Interstate 5 just past Disneyland. Since I would rather be moving than just idling in traffic, we took the closest exit and drove the surface roads, trying to parallel the freeway. At some point we saw this building and signage.

Of course the car went straight to the parking lot. When we walked in, the grill and counter seating were to the right and tables and booths to the left. It was crowded, but a few tables were empty (There weren't two seats together at the counter).

There must be a fascinating story behind this place, but it wasn't written inside the menu. The customers all seemed to be locals and our waitress made it a point to welcome us 'strangers' warmly. The interior was a mishmash of decorating styles and photos of that didn't happen. The menu choices were also a bit of a mishmash.

The menu had a few Greek, Italian and Mexican selections, a lot of American/Diner selections and the above Homemade chili section. Since we may not ever find our way back here, we had to order what we may never get a chance to order again…

Eggs and chili ($6). Probably the best chili I've ever tasted. No beans (of course) meaty, spicy (I could detect cinnamon, garlic and cumin and the chili heat level was pleasant). Homemade. The chili was rich and almost like smooth chocolate…a mole of sorts. Poured over nicely scrambled eggs topped with cheese, served with the garlic bread. (I asked for onions on the side -and that bowl appeared with the plate-). This was wonderful and the new thing I learned that day – chili goes with eggs.

Just as wonderful was the chalkboard special of machaca and eggs ($7). Beef, onions, peppers, tomatoes along with more spices (I tasted garlic, oregano and cumin) cooked long and slow into a great stew until the beef falls apart, creating machaca. The stewed meat and vegetables were cooked in a pan with eggs. It was served with really good beans and rice as well as tortillas and a homemade salsa. Wonderful.

A great find, all because of traffic. I hope someday you have gridlock turn out as well.

Curly Jones Cafe 13220 San Antonio Norwalk, CA 90650 Open until 2 or 3 p.m. daily. (562)864-4399

Starting 2013: Pasadena. Rose Parade float viewing, House of Basturma and Carmela Ice Cream

January 7, 2013 Cathy Desserts, Festivals & Events, Road Trip, What Cathy Eats!

Thanks for reading mmm-yoso!!! the food blog. Kirk and ed (from Yuma) are doing some research for blog posts. Cathy is doing some blogging today.

Well, the first day of the New Year has come and gone and the holidays are almost over (we take down our decorations on the 12th Night after Christmas). The Mister and I had an interesting Day One of 2013 and here's a bit of it.

We woke early, had a nice breakfast and watched the Rose Parade on television and as the parade ended (10 a.m.) got in the car and started the drive North. We got to Pasadena, found a place to park just North of Sierra Madre Boulevard and then headed to the mile long fenced in area, where the 42 floats that participated in the parade were lined up end to end.

There were already about 100,000 other people there.

Here's part of the HGTV float, which won the Grand Marshal Trophy (for excellence in creative concept and design).

The Trader Joe's entry won the Extrordinaire Trophy (most spectacular float).

Here's some detail of the back end, with the electric beater making a 'meringue' out of egg whites (see the half 'eggshell' with yellow 'yolk'?). Every inch of every float you see is covered with something that is or was alive- the 'rope' is made of white onions and the 'toothpick frills' are orchids.

The Department of Defense entry, commemorating the 60th anniversary of the end of the Korean War, won the National Trophy (best depiction of life in the USA, past, present or future) was replicating parts of the Korean War Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., using silverleaf to mimic the bronze of the original sculpture. This float was impressive.

Here's part of the Shriners Hospitals float, which won the Judges Special Trophy (most spectacular in showmanship and dramatic impact). The teddy bear looks soft and cuddly, even though his body is made of dried straw flowers and the bottom of his feet are dried artichoke bottoms. You can see the louver in his belly, where the 'viewer' sits and communicates with the driver of the float, who is in the back of the float in the dark.

After more than two hours of braving the crowds, The Mister and I began walking the streets just North of Sierra Madre Boulevard and saw this. The sign under the 'Chef" is the name of the restaurant- House of Basturma.

Stepping inside, there is a small deli counter and grocery shelving to the left, the area where you order is at the cash register and so is the grill and open kitchen area. There is indoor seating to the right and straight ahead is the outdoor seating and hookah area.

We looked at the small menu, determined the food was Armenian/Turkish/Lebanese, and then ordered and paid. Soon the chef came out, made our food and brought it to our table.

I wanted to try the babaganouj ($4.50) and we wanted to share a Basturma sandwich ($4.99). The babaganouj was quite a large serving, fresh, not too smokey and not too garlicy-really nice and creamy and just really good.

Basturma- an Armenian Lebanese pastrami-ish air dried beef. It's coated in a paste of spices, including cumin, garlic, fenugreek and hot paprika. Sliced thin and then placed on this wonderful plain toasted semolina bread with just sliced tomatoes and pickles was absolutely wonderful. The bread was crunchy on the edges and soft and flavorful and the Basturma was so darn good. A simple, savory meal to start the year.

When we walked out of the House of Basturma, we turned left and on the same block, saw this signage. We had to stop.

When you walk in, you are there; it's tiny. The water vessel is in front of you and the available flavors are on the chalkboard to your left.

We decided to try two scoops ($4.50) of contrasting flavors and textures: cranberry orange thyme sorbet and the fresh mint with cacao nib ice cream.

Wow. Distinctive flavors: fresh mint, fresh thyme, fresh cranberry and orange and then biting into the crunchy cacao nibs… delicious and a contrast of creamy, smooth and those nibs. Simply nice, pleasant and popping. Really a great find.

Carmela Ice Cream 2495 E. Washington Boulevard Pasadena CA 91104 (626) 797-1405 Website

I hope everyone is having a good year.