Road Trip – Page 28

Las Vegas: Around the Strip and Honey Salt

February 11, 2013 mmm-yoso American/New American Restaurants, Las Vegas, Nevada, 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.

Thanksgiving Brunch: Sea Harbour – Rosemead (Los Angeles)

November 25, 2012 mmm-yoso Dim Sum, Los Angeles County, Road Trip

This year we decided to dust off an old tradition, one we'd put away into the closet over 5-6 years back and grab some dim sum on Thanksgiving day. Over the years we've become less satisfied with the inconsistent and plain low quality of the dim sum in San Diego. Instead, we opted to drive to our favorite place for dim sum Sea Harbour. We made really great time on our trip to the SGV, having time to grab some roast duck for dinner (a later post) before arriving at the doors to the restaurant about 10 minutes before opening. Sea Harbour is one of those places with an eternal line during weekends and holidays, you either get there early, or try to time the first major turnover of tables.

On this day, the line dictated a major seating effort and the place was at full capacity ten minutes past ten.

Service was bit confused at first and while not exactly the most friendly, much better than Shanghai No. 1, where the asking of the most simplest question (like, "could I have a menu?), would cause them to give us a pained look like Dr Szell had been working on them for a couple of hours, "Oh, don't worry. I'm not going into that cavity. That nerve's already dying. A live, freshly-cut nerve is infinitely more sensitive. So I'll just drill into a healthy tooth until I reach the pulp." You almost thought they were trained here. 'Nuff said……

For some reason the Missus wanted some Gailan…..

They obviously brush some oil on it to give this poached vegetable some sheen. As gailan goes, this was fine, but I thought the oyster sauce was very good.

We usually go fairly light and at Sea Harbour go primarily with seafood. The hargow was good, nicely pleated, the wrappers not too think nor too sticky.

The shrimp were plump and cooked well…my only complaint were that these were perhaps too big, you couldn't eat them in a single bite. Which I guess is not much of a complaint at all.

I loved the Shrimp, dried scallops, and Chinese celery dumplings on our previous visits. These did not disappoint.

Nice wrappers, not too sticky, the savory flavor of the shrimp and dried scallops, with a nice textural counterpoint and the palate cleansing flavor of the Chinese celery. Still a favorite.

We always try something new when we visit Sea Harbour. On this visit it was the Radish Cake with XO Sauce. We usually avoid ordering these because we make it at home, but the allure of the XO sauce could not be avoided. This dish totally changed our opinion of Radish/Turnip Cake.

There were huge pieces of daikon in these, not shreds, that literally melted in your mouth! The texture was excellent. The XO sauce wasn't artificially salty and just added a touch of spice, with a nice savory touch. But those tender chunks of radish cake….I'm sure we'll be having those again.

The clunker of the day….and there always seems to be one, was the vegetarian Black Fungus and Celery Dumpling.

Nice textures, but pretty bland.

I was looking forward to trying the Egg Tofu in Abalone Sauce.

Loved the texture of the egg tofu, the sauce was pretty mild though.

At this point, we were satisfied but waiting on one item. We asked one of the gentlemen about it and he efficiently went to check the kitchen and told us "exact, three minutes"…and about three and a half minutes later our Pan Grilled Spinach Pork Bun. The Missus thinks this is too sweet, but I usually love the flavors. Today, I was less then satisfied with the dough which had the texture of dough where steam had escaped leaving it on the harder, waterlogged side.

I still enjoyed the filling, so I'll just have to wait until our next visit to see……

Overall, our tab came to about $35. Which may be expensive if you dim sum in LA, but not so much if you've had it in San Diego recently. Plus, there's nothing here that comes remotely close to this in quality, prep, and flavor.

Sea Harbour Seafood Restaurant
3939 Rosemead Blvd
Rosemead, CA 91770

We made two more stops before heading home; first to Tianjin Bistro for some "day after" suan cai yang rou, then the market for some supplies. We had smooth sailing until the 5/405 merge…after that it was pure murder until we hit Carlsbad, where traffic suddenly dissapated…..very strange!

Anyway, I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving this year!

Road Trip Weekend-(Pasa)Dena Burgers, some markets, meat by the side of the road and final 2013 Rose Parade float road test.

November 19, 2012 Cathy Breakfast/Brunch, Festivals & Events, Los Angeles County, Markets & Grocers, Road Trip, What Cathy Eats!

Thanks for reading mmm-yoso!!! on this week of preparation, travel and beginning of holiday celebrations. Cathy is writing today. The guys (Kirk and ed(from Yuma)) are very busy.

This past Saturday was a busy (and exciting) day for us. The Mister and I woke early, let the dogs out, drove North, encountered rain and sunshine and got to Pasadena to enjoy the final day of Rose Parade float road testing before the actual parade (photos at the end of this post) and then drove North on Arroyo Seco, headed East on Orange Grove and saw this signage…and had to stop.

I liked the font…and right there on the corner of Orange Grove and North Los Robles, an angled building, to allow for drive through access while ordering from the passenger side of your vehicle-

Dena Burgers looked like a place to investigate.

Walk in, order and pay at one window,

and pick up at the other window.

We decided to go by the name of the place, and ordered a Breakfast Burger ($5.25)- a 1/4 pound burger, egg, cheese, lettuce, tomato and hash browns on a toasted bun. It was large and tasty, but kind of dry and we each added some ketchup at some point in eating our respective half.
A Machaca and eggs plate ($5.50) as well as some very good (Gavina) coffee completed this meal. The fresh tomato and crisp bell pepper as well as onion cooked with eggs and beef to a crusty brown, was really good (The salsa and onions on top were added from the condiment bar at the pick up window). The rice and beans were unusually tasty and the fresh, warm corn tortillas were a bonus.

Dena Burgers 445 E. Orange Grove Blvd. Pasadena, CA 91104 (626) 792-7035

When we finished, we walked across the parking lot to this grocery store.

Baja Ranch Supermarket was magical. I didn't take many photos inside, because it was quite crowded. There is a large steam tray area, deli area, excellent meat/poultry/seafood selection, tortilleria, bakery and produce area. There were extensive displays of chiles being sold here- dried in bags, in bulk and fresh. There items sold here include Mexican as well as Peruvian, Cuban and Salvadorean…and some American staples. We spent $21 and filled five cloth bags we had brought from home (this part of LA County charges for grocery bags).

Baja Ranch Supermarket 475 Orange Grove Blvd, Pasadena 91101 website

We continued East, got to Sierra Madre Boulevard and

stopped at the Pasadena Farmers Market again.

We chose a few seasonal items…

Pasadena Certified Farmers Market, Sierra Madre at Paloma, next to Pasadena High School website

Then we headed East on the 210…and, remembering that H Mart was opening in San Diego that day, decided to check out what we figured would be an uncrowded H-Mart located close to where we were…

Upon entering the Diamond Bar location of a Super H Mart and turning to the right,

we encountered a large Food Court area… which included this little franchise-Deli Manjoo

which has a window where you can watch this conveyor belt baking system making sweet treats. We were given samples fresh off the griddle! You can get a mix of eight for $3…

You can see the walnut shapes are filled with red bean paste as well as a walnut. For Lucky Fish we chose two filled with custard and two filled with cream cheese. Deli Manjoo Website

We also picked up savory treats at The Tous les Jours franchise. Excellent and so very fresh! The young ladies working here were very helpful and the selection was amazing. Website

There were other vendors in the food court area..and small shopping areas on other walls of this large store- then there was the H-Mart store itself.

Clean, fresh, friendly. One thing we noticed that the ladies giving samples were set up at the aisle ends, which were specifically sample areas- outlets on the floor so electric pans could be easily heated for sampling. Combined with the available items in the 'regular' food aisles, H Mart is a great store. I can't wait to visit "ours". Generic H Mart website link.

Since it is Thanksgiving, we needed to pick up our smoked ham, or "meat by the side of the road" as I have fondly termed it.
Once again, the Valley Center Optimists have their trailer set up in front of Fat Ivor's and are selling smoked hams (whole and half) for Thanksgiving. They will also be selling hams for Christmas and Easter. We wait for this time of year to be able to purchase this ham.
Here is a cross section view of the smoked half ham ($35). My friend from Valley Center, Ms. T., picked hers up and warmed it so The Mister and I could have a slice when we drove by to pick up ours. Valley Center Optimists 760-390-4173

Oh. So this day began with the last day to see 2013 Rose Parade floats do their final road test of the year. I've posted about previous road test days…all the floats need to pass three tests before being allowed to drive down Pasadena streets on New Years Day.

When we got here, the Lions Club float was finishing the test drive.

The Honda float, very long and intricately detailed was parked and waiting in line to be tested. Those are steps leading to a slide that people will be sliding on during the five mile long parade route.
Here's a better view of the slide.
Here's an unusual view of another float…

and another float from a high viewpoint…

and here is another perspective of the front of the Honda float (see the slide?).

Those viewpoints are from above ground, because I was standing on-ON- the front of The Lutheran Hour float! Yes, The Mister and I were asked to participate in the road test and fire drill.

Here's the float after the fire drill. It had started to rain when we were testing…but had to pretend there was a fire anyhow.

We've never made a "Bucket List" of things we wanted to do, but if we had, this would've been on it- and checked off!

If anyone wants to know about volunteering to decorate a Rose Parade float, information is available HERE.

I hope everyone has a non-hectic week ahead.

#GoBlue

Roadtrip: China Islamic Restaurant – Rosemead (Los Angeles)

November 11, 2012 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants, Los Angeles County, Road Trip

Both the Missus and I have a special place in our hearts for Northern style Islamic Chinese. The Missus even worked at the well known, but now closed Tung Lai Shun which was a fixture in Focus Plaza in San Gabriel for a short while. We used to eat at VIP Restaurant a couple of blocks from where we lived in Rowland Heights, several owners ago, when it was still Halal, and before they started serving "Jung Hwa Yori" (Sino-Chinese/Korean Chinese) dishes.

On a recent roadtrip, the Missus and I planned three stops, and decided to start at the very old school China Islamic on Garvey.

I was told a few years back that this place has been around for probably 20 years or so and after entering the fairly dark restaurant, I gotta say, it's starting to look it. The tables have that unique "San Gabriel sticky" feeling to them, which I actually have some fondness for……

Since the Missus doesn't eat beef, pork, or chicken nowadays, this was almost the perfect menu for us. Historically, many of these restaurants served a dual population, those that ate following certain dietary restrictions and the Chinese. So you'd have to look through the menu and bypass the chow mein, beef broccoli, and stuff like that to get to the heart of the cuisine. I'm not sure if China Islamic serves Halal, I didn't see it noted anywhere.

Of course we needed a lamb dish. Instead of the usual lamb with scallions, I went with lamb with sa cha sauce, basically a dried seafood, chili shallot, garlic, and oil sauce, often called "sa-te" sauce, but which has nothing to do with Southeast Asian sate sauce.

In retrospect, I should have ordered the classic lamb with scallions. Though the meat was on the chewy side, we both loved the really gamey flavor. We were indeed eating lamb. The flavor of the sauce was very mild, watered-down, and almost too slimy for us. The presentation brought back memories…."what presentation" you might ask? Exactly….no presentation…..

Next up was the crispy duck.

For some reason, we've had some pretty good fried duck in Islamic Chinese joints and this was no exception. This was the best dish we had during our visit. Though everything was just dumped on a plate, the duck wasn't greasy, the skin was light and crisp. It could have used a bit more in the flavoring department, or at least have some pepper-salt or sauce. As served it was pretty plain.

I actually went ahead and made fried duck sisig with the leftovers….which tasted really good.

One of the reasons we came here was for Suan Cai Yang Rou, preserved vegetable and lamb hot pot. For some reason, this has become one of my "comfort dishes". My Chinese friends find it amusing that I really enjoy this dish, which historically used the fatty parts of the lamb and napa cabbage that had been preserved to last over the winter….in other words, it's "poor people food".

The first thing the Missus lamented was the lack of frozen tofu in the dish……tofu, when frozen then thawed becomes sponge-like and really absorbs all the flavor. But most of all, this wasn't ready for prime time. Everything had just been put together, so the broth had no flavor and the meat was really tough. We ended up taking almost all of this home. We bought some tofu at Hong Kong Market and put it into the freezer when we got home. By the next day, the sour flavors of the suancai had permeated the broth and also helped to tenderize the lamb.

Overall, we felt this was pretty pricey at over $45. We'd heard that service here was on the rude side, but I tend to think that it's more of an "all business attitude". The two guys that served us were efficient and actually quite nice. Still, I don't think we'll be back, I think the suan cai yang rou at Tianjin Bistro is much better.

China Islamic Restaurant
7727 Garvey Ave
Rosemead, CA 91770

Pasadena Farmers Market and lunch at The Slaw Dogs (Duarte)

November 2, 2012 mmm-yoso American/New American Restaurants, Farmer's Markets/Night Market, Hot Dogs, Road Trip, What Cathy Eats!

You are reading mmm-yoso!!!, a food blog. Kirk, ed (from Yuma) and Cathy blog here, with the primary subject 'food'. Today, Cathy is blogging, because Kirk and ed (from Yuma) are just plain busy.

This is a continuation of our Saturday road trip to watch a road test of the 2013 Rose Parade floats. When we got to Euro Pane, The Mister grabbed a few of those free newspapers stacked at the door and was reading while we were eating while I was checking my phone for spam on the blog. He saw that The Pasadena Farmers Market was held on Tuesday and Saturday and we knew the exact location- in the parking lot of Pasadena High, on Sierra Madre Boulevard, where the Rose Parade floats line up end to end, after the Parade.

So we drove until we saw vehicles parked on the street, parked, walked across the median and into the vendor area.

and enjoyed the vast selection of fruits and vegetables in the two long aisles of booths.

I must say, the selection and prices were overwhelming- we walked through, noting prices, taking a few samples,
enjoyed the three musicians (two with guitars and one playing a zither) spread out in separate areas,

as well as checking out the fresh seafood vendor-

There was one 'taco stand', several vendors selling baked goods, one egg rancher, one olive oil stand and a honey vendor.

Then I saw these, and learned what fresh picked jicama looks like! We made some purchases and started driving East, knowing we were heading home.

At some point, we were on the Original Route 66 and in Duarte. I spotted this building

drove two blocks and turned around. The name alone…

We walked in and looked at the menu…and it was overwhelming. Because the possibilities of combinations of available ingredients and preparations is overwhelming.

-There are five dog types(1/4 lb Vienna, natural casing Vienna, 1/4 lb turkey, Kosher beef or veggie)

-Six choices of links (Vienna Jumbo 12" all beef, 7" spicy Polish, 1/4 lb spicy chicken or chicken apple, 1/4 lb Bavarian bratwurst or 1/4 lb ghost pepper pork hot link) types, three preparation choices(steamed, charbroiled or 'ripped' (deep fried and the casing bursts).

-Then there is a choice of 11 Sauces: ketchup, mustard, BBQ, curry ketchup, spicy sesame aioli, chipotle mayo, roast garlic aioli, horseradish mustard, dijon and buttermilk ranch

-Three from a list of 15 (or 39¢ for more than three) toppings: diced onions, grilled onions, relish, pickle chips, dill pickle spear, jalapeños, sport peppers, pepperocini, sauerkraut, cole slaw, diced tomato, celery salt, chopped Romaine, garlic salsa verde or habañero pickled onion…

-And you can choose from 23 custom toppings for 99¢ each: Beer chili, veggie chili, bacon, pastrami, ground beef, jalapeño bacon, fried egg, Cheddar, Pepper Jack, Parmesan, Nacho cheese, Goat cheese, Feta, Blue, Kimchi, avocado, guacamole, mushrooms, sauteed bell peppers and onion, olive mix, truffle oil or roast garlic pieces.

Fortunately the menu is not only "Build Your Own", but does have a choice of ten 'Slaw Dogs'. Of course, we decided to share "The Traditional"

1/4 lb Vienna beef dog, beer chili, cheddar, mustard, onions and slaw ($4.99) (the only choice was between Cole Slaw or Thai Slaw, and we decided on Cole Slaw).

A cross section view- the chili was really good and the slaw was excellent- crispy and lightly dressed with mayonnaise and a bit of spice (The flavor could have been Lawry's Seasoned Salt…very pleasant and mild)

Then there were Sides available. Not only fries and sweet potato fries, but onion rings, tots, potato salad, slaws, chili cheese bowl, small tossed salad…but 1/2 skin on fries 1/2 sweet potato fries as well as chili cheese fries, truffle fries, parmesan fries, garlic fries or, our choice…Kimchi sweet potato fries ($5.99) (yes, more than the Slaw Dog). Sweet potato fries, perfectly nicely fried and topped with spicy sesame aioli (the 'spice' may have been Sriracha)bacon pieces (large, real bacon pieces), fresh made kimchi (not too spicy; a great version) and an over easy fried egg.

There were burgers and salads on the menu also- the salads all came with a choice of butterflied, chargrilled link. The kimchi fries was a perfect melding of flavors and textures and was a meal in itself. So glad we stopped.

When leaving, I asked about breakfast , since the sign out front advertised it Friday, Saturday and Sunday only…not only French Toast, pancakes (buttermilk or seven grain), oatmeal, and egg dishes (all served with fruit and either rosemary potatoes or potato tots), but some of the omelet selections contain available links (a Ghost Buster omelet using a ghost pepper sausage, with bell peppers, onions and fresh jalapeño and cheddar cheese is $7.99) and the bottom of the list- a Belly Buster scramble (diced pork belly, cilantro and green onions ($8.99)) has the only mention of pork belly on the menu.

The Slaw Dogs 1355 Huntington Drive (the original Route 66) Duarte, CA 91010 (626)358-8898 website

2013 Rose Parade Float Road Test-and breakfast at Euro Pane Bakery (Pasadena)

October 28, 2012 Cathy Bakery, Breakfast/Brunch, Festivals & Events, Los Angeles County, Road Trip, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso!!! is a food blog. Kirk, ed (from Yuma) and Cathy do things and eat, just like you. Today Cathy is writing about why, where and what she had for breakfast.

As you (may) know, The Mister and I grew up back East watching the Rose Parade from our snow covered homes on January 1 (or 2nd, if the 1st was a Sunday) for most of our childhood. At some point, we were able to fulfill one of our "when I grow up" goals. We have volunteered decorating floats for a few years now and know that the parade does not happen overnight. Planning for next year starts almost as soon as the parade ends. One of many steps is the "road test" of the floats. I've posted about the July and the August road tests from this year and skipped writing a post in September, but did, once again, wake at 4 a.m. (so the dogs could all be let out) before leaving our home in East County so as to be on Raymond Street in Pasadena at 7 a.m. to view the floats. We did it all over again on Saturday. So, here are some photos of the September and October road testing..and our breakfast.

The Banner Float-the first one you'll see, showing the Theme of the 2013 parade. It will have so many different items to match and contrast all the colors painted on here as guidelines.

The LAX float was just a shell of rebar in August. That's the new Tom Bradley Terminal, which will open in March.

The HGTV float last time was kind of difficult to picture, but now, all the different home styles are clear.

This little guy, in his own home, will be on the "camera" side of the float.

So those were the 'completed' floats from September.

After we saw all the road testing, once again, we stopped at Lucky Boy and pretty much ordered what apparently has become our "usual". I didn't think you'd be interested in another post, especially containing the same meal…

But I did think you might be interested in seeing a September road test of the rebar-only floats and the resulting October completed floats…

All we knew about this float was that it was the Farmers Insurance Group entry in the parade. It looks like some sort of centerpiece or that something will be featured on the top of the vessel.

It turns out that one lucky couple will be getting married on this float during the parade! (There was a contest to pick the couple, entries ended October 14). The people are on the float to test how it moves/turns with weight, as there will be people riding on the float during the parade.

In September, seeing this…

pulling this, with our only clue being this was the RFD-TV float, had us guessing what was what (other than we knew the front item was a tractor).

Amber waves of grain- so surprised to see such a beautiful result.

Here's the "camera" view…

The Donate Life float appears to be one long mobius ribbon forming hearts along the float. The riders will all be recipients or families of organ donors, as always.

<–This is a closer look at the float, while the riders were exiting on a fire drill.

There was only one 'bare' float being tested and I'll save it for next time. (Hint: Honda)

After this early day, we headed out to seek breakfast 'somewhere on Colorado Boulevard'.

and since it was before 9 a.m., only had to look where we saw vehicles parked…and Euro Pane Bakery looked like a nice place.

Not very large inside (I counted 12 two person tables, and one that could seat eight). When we arrived, only five tables were occupied.

The two photos show all of the display cases and breads available (those are very large macarons in the photo above). Of course, I didn't want any sweets, and chose a slice of spinach quiche:

It came with a currant filled eggy roll… fresh-soft and lightly chewy, which went well with the unsalted butter.

The quiche is very spinach-y, without addition of other flavorings (i.e., no onion or nutmeg). The custard part of the quiche was smooth and eggy, like flan (there was an opposite of a custard:spinach ratio in the pieces near the edge). The crust was light and flaky…and gosh, so fresh.

The Mister saw this item on the counter and asked what it was and the nice Lady said "ham and cheese". Turns out there was also bacon, onions and carrot inside this fresh, crispy crust. It was very much like an Alsace Onion Tart (or the Tarte d'Alsace sold at Trader Joe's), but rolled and inside a crust. The onion was a carmelized sweet and inoffensive (The Mister only eats onions if they are battered and fried or in French onion soup and he did eat some of these, although a nice stack was on the side of the plate when we traded.).

Both items were heated-in an oven in back-for us and brought out to our table. Heating made the flavors even better. I neglected to take the receipt and only know that these two items plus one coffee cost a bit less than $13. I must say the quality was there and the sandwich menu board looked extremely interesting…and now I wish I had grabbed a sweet, or a loaf of bread…

Euro Pane Bakery 950 East Colorado Boulevard, Suite 107 Pasadena, CA 91106 (626) 577-1828

Roadtrip: Dim Sum at Shanghai No. 1 Seafood Village – San Gabriel (Los Angeles)

October 1, 2012 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants, Dim Sum, Los Angeles County, Road Trip, Xiao Long Bao

After our quick meal at Happiness Restaurant, the Missus calculated that we could still make it to San Gabriel and check out Shanghai No.1 Seafood Village before it got too crowded. Shanghai No.1 had been creating some buzz around the SGV, though I think it's more for the amount spent on decor (I've heard over a million) then the food. The restaurant is located in the same strip mall as Beijing Restaurant and where Green Village was before it shut down. The restaurant really doesn't look like much from the outside.

But the interior is something to behold, looking like an old Shanghai nightclub/restaurant.

We were here during lunch, but the dinner menu is also available. We asked to look at the dinner menu….and got what was to be the typical service here….lousy, abrupt, and perfunctory at best.

The menu really looked like those we saw in China, an over-sized volume of glossy photos, with each dish described in detail. I had read several accounts saying that the dim sum was expensive, but of course those folks hadn't eaten dim sum in San Diego recently. Here the small is $1.98, medium $2.98, large $3.98, and "specials" $4.98.

Since we had already eaten, our ordering habits had to follow a strategy we have when eating multiple meals in the SGV…..folks always look at me strangely when I tell them we actually have a strategy for eating, like I'm crazy or something. Only folks like my good friends and fellow bloggers like Kirbie and "CC" understand that I'm not totally insane…..partially perhaps, but not around the bend.

We started with the Lily and Corn Porridge ($4.98):

I took one sip of this and went…whoa….the base of the porridge was dried scallop, which just brought it up several notches. Also, notice the smoothness…it basically looks like milled broken rice! Most places serve you rice porridge that looks like rice and water….heck, that's what mine looks like even though there's abalone in it! This was the best I've had in a while, not too starchy or gummy, smooth, nice savory flavor that enhanced, but didn't overwhelm the added ingredients….quite nice.

Next up was the Abalone sticky rice in Lotus Leaf ($3.98):

Loved the way this was executed, the rice wasn't over-cooked and mushy. The rice had absorbed the maximum amount of smoky flavor from the lotus leaf. There was a slice of abalone, but it was pretty rubbery and instead of a whole egg yolk, there was a smear of yellow. Overall, this was good, but a bit on the rich side.

Next up was the Shanghai Vegetable Bun ($1.98). Now I enjoy the version at Chin's, but this was in another league.

These weren't very big, but the flavors were. The version at Chin's tends to be too bready and sweet. This one had a mild yeastiness and the filling had that balanced salty-bitter-sweet flavor I enjoy.

So far so good…..but from here our meal kinda took a turn in the wrong direction. If you've read our little blog long enough, you know that we just couldn't have a Hu Cai (滬菜) meal without trying the Xun Yu. Here's it's called Old Shanghai Smoked Fish and this one is priced fairly high at $12.99. Supposedly this is not made in the traditional way, but cooked to order, which, if you've ever made this – marinated-deep fried-marinated, seems a bit odd. The dish, which was on the small side was presented well.

The Missus took a bite and told me I wouldn't be able to eat it. But of course I had to try…..man, this was some of the muddiest fish I've had in a while. It tasted like I stuck a handful of dirt in my mouth. The textures were interesting, the exterior light and crisp, the interior almost like silken tofu, which I found odd considering this is fish. I just couldn't bring myself to eat another bite.

The Xiao Long Bao was also terrible ($4.98) – if anything was over-priced on the dim sum menu it was this.

First the folds were hard and gummy, not made well. The flavor of the soup was on the mild side and the filling was hard….much too hard for Xiao Long Bao. This would probably do in San Diego, but not in a Shanghai style restaurant in the SGV.

The one item I really wanted to try were the Shenjian Bao ($2.98):

Not to incur the wrath of my friend YZ from Shanghai, who will automatically tell me how wrong it is for SJB to have folds on the top. This was fluffy, the dough on the sweet side, but had a nice amount of salty-sweet "soup"…..much too sweet for the Missus, but I liked it. The meat wasn't anything special and this was fairly good overall….it looked better than it was.

The service really didn't live up to the standard of the design and decor…..this was basically lipstick on a pig. When we asked for boxes they were basically thrown at us…the whole objective seemed to be around turning over tables….I guess someone has to pay for the furniture, right?

I thought the execution of the dishes were better than the actual flavors, the SJB is a good case in point. The Missus and I had an interesting conversation about the food on the drive back home. The Missus came to the conclusion that I'm pretty unbiased when it comes to Chinese regional cuisine….I wasn't raised on the stuff, but became immersed during our years in the SGV, so I was basically a blank slate. She was raised on a combination of Lu Cai – Shandong cuisine, of the Jiaodong style and spicy Hunan/Sichuan cuisine. So the flavors of "South of the Yangtze" really don't appeal to Her…..interesting theory.

As for the dim sum at Shanghai No.1…well let's just say it won't make me forget about Sea Harbour or Elite.

Shanghai No. 1 Seafood Restaurant
250 West Valley Blvd Suite M
San Gabriel, CA 91776

Roadtrip: Happiness Restaurant – Rowland Heights

September 27, 2012 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants, Los Angeles County, Road Trip

**** Happiness Restaurant has closed

Yes, another road trip so soon. We had an appointment in our old neighborhood….man, we've lived in San Diego for over a decade now, time sure does fly. Anyway, after our appointment, the Missus was hungry and I was still kind of hurting after our last visit to Chung King in Monterey Park. So we thought we'd get something close by…plus I wanted some Liang Ci Ba to take back with me.

And while I've stopped here for Liang Ci Ba, I really hadn't had anything else since this place was called Manie's Restaurant back in 2006. Strangely, though the menu looks the same and the lady who runs the place looks the same, the name has changed. So I was wondering what was going on….until I met "Manie"……and things got even more confusing…

You may recognize the turtle from a previous post….it has gotten a bit bigger. We were told the turtle is now 6 1/2 years old, so maybe the turtle was named after the restaurant and then???? Oh, so many possible scenarios go through my head….some NSFW, so I'll just stop.

Man, the two young ladies working here looked really beat and it was only 11 in the morning!

We decided to order a couple of items we saw on photos posted on the wall….well because the menu here is soooooo huge, with over 270+ items, not including lunch specials, scattered about like leaves on the ground…there are "Happiness Special Dishes" in one section, with "Happiness Special" in another…..not sure what meaning the addition/deletion of a single word would have, but the menu can induce total paralysis.

The Missus really liked one of the photos, but balked at the price, $16.95, for the House Special Fish…..but I told Her "sometimes you just gotta go for it", so we did. What arrived, well, looked like, but didn't look like the photo on the wall if you know what I mean. It arrived in one of those metal mixing bowls……

It looked like fish filets were cooking in a pot of bubbling oil, but not frying! Once things settled down, I had a taste and it seemed like it was all oil(it didn't separate overnight). The fish however, did not brown, and I'm guessing was either poached in another fluid and finished in the oil…or perhaps oil poached, which seemed like a more reasonable assumption since the fish had a wonderful buttery texture that almost melted in your mouth…."fei ur bu ni" (rich without greasy). The dish as a whole was not very spicy and the seaweed and other items in the oil didn't really add much….until we slowly, very slowly, heated up the leftovers the next day, but which time the chilies and seaweed had imparted a wonderful flavor to the remaining fish.

We'll ask the next time we have this…the Missus enjoyed this, so I'm sure we'll have it again.

The House Special Hot and Spicy Lamb Chops ($10.95) did look like lamb chops in the photo, but were just lamb ribs.

The batter was o the mushy side and the flavor not particularly appealing….decent beer food overall. The best part of the dish were the scalded scallions and garlic, which had also absorbed what the Sichuan Peppercorns in the dish had to offer.

The Missus asked me if I wanted the Kou Shui Ji – saliva chicken – written as Happiness Spicy Chicken ($7.95) on the menu. I thought why not…..

I felt kind of weird when it arrived….this usually a cold dish and it hit the table warm, almost hot. Catching a bit of the fragrance, I could make out sesame paste, which was a good start. In the bowl, this looked like soup….I fished out the chicken, much of which had been cubed, almost like it was being prepared for la zi ji, chicken with chilies. The flavor was actually not bad…there was a hint of vinegar, it was salty enough, sesame paste, but not sweet, nor spicy enough. If I had eaten this a year ago, I'd have rated it pretty low….but after having two renditions even worse then this in the last couple months, what can I say……still can't really recommend it, but it's passable.

And of course we got the Liang Ci Ba – Sticky Rice Cake ($6.95), which is under Happiness Appetizers, to go. Taking a peek at the table, I realized it's not quite what it used to be.

The rice cakes looked like they've been worked pretty pretty hard and they've gotten pretty stingy with the peanut-sesame paste topping, which was really dense. The Missus got to the topping before I did and left me all the carbs. In case you have any doubts about this…..here's what it looked like in 2006:

In case you're thinking it's because I ordered it to go….here's what it looked like around Xmas of 2010:

Well, I didn't have much time to dwell on that for very long as we headed off to our "second lunch"….stay tuned!

Happiness Restaurant
18438 Colima Road #106
Rowland Heights, CA 91748