Covid-19 Takeout – Et Voila. Trying for Our Own Little “Happy Hour”

Welcome to March 73rd….or something like that. In a way I'm glad to be super busy with work, otherwise I'd just be out of sorts, I think the days would all just roll into one another…….of all the things I enjoy doing, going out and eat is a big one. and more than that; I think it's the fact that we "can't" do something that is driving us a bit crazy. The Missus and I have been looking for a bit of normalcy. We were chatting about just going out for Happy Hour. I quickly recalled that one of the Missus's favorite spots, Et Voila was doing Curbside and window pick-up. And even better, with the relaxing of ABC regulations, they had two of our favorite cocktails available for pick-up. Reminder; you still need to order food if ordering cocktails for pick-up, so don't go all crazy, ok?

Anyway, the drill was easy, you place an order on the Et Voila website, along with pick-up time, pay using Pay Pal (you don't need a Pay Pal account), and get to the window at pick-up time.

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To be perfectly honest; EV wasn't offering any of our favorites for takeout; but I managed to find a couple of items, which turned out to be pretty good.

And then of course, there was this.

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Man, these were really good…a bit too good! Much stiffer than what I recall having in the restaurant. And the Huckleberry Bourbon was much better than what we had during Happy Hour last time. And man, the Tequila Mockingbird…..I was getting over a sinus infection and that baby just cleared me up.

As for the food; well, I got the Gazpacho which was refreshing, especially with the hot weather.

C-19 Et Voila 03

No sure what was up with the guacamole, it really didn't do much for the dish. The Missus drizzled on some nice olive oil……and then reminded me that I should plan on making some Salmorejo soon.

We both enjoyed the simple Baguette Pâté-Cornichons.

C-19 Et Voila 04 C-19 Et Voila 05The Missus isn't much of a mustard fan; but She loved the Dijon provided. It helped, along with the brightly flavored cornichons to cut the rustic flavor of the pate. This was a very nice sandwich for eight bucks.

In the end it was worth going a bit off course….I've been trying to consolidate trips to places along a certain route….but this, along with Sushi Tadokoro were well worth the detour. It helped us to escape from all the craziness going on right now…..we did have our own little Happy Hour sitting in the backyard….in fact the Missus, thinking out loud said, "do you think they'll keep selling the to-go cocktails when this is all over?"

Currently, Et Voila has pick-up times set for 12-2pm and 4-8pm daily. The online form is easy to fill out. They are currently doing orders for same day pick-up. C-19 Et Voila 06

Et Voilà!
3015 Adams Ave
San Diego, CA 92116

A La Carte and 3 Course Menu – Cold or Ready to Eat on their website for Curbside Pick-up or To-go.

What have you been doing to add a bit of normalcy to your day?

Covid-19 Takeout – SuperNatural Sandwiches (Miramar)

**** SuperNatural Sandwiches has closed

Man, it was a hot couple of days, huh? Record high temps, 20 degrees above the norm. It was definitely sandwich weather. I decided to call in and do some takeout from a regular on my "sandwich rotation"SuperNatural Sandwiches.

I arrived a quarter after eleven, it seems that their current hours are from 11am to "between 230 and 330 PM", Monday to Saturday. There were already three people in line waiting for their order.

C19 SuperNatural 01

I was a bit confused about where the walk up window was as the "order here" mark on the ground was tight in front of a closed door and folks waiting just seemed to be hanging out with no social distancing. But all was fine once the nice young lady arrived at the makeshift counter to the right and greeted me. From there, it was a fast process and my order was ready to go.

C19 SuperNatural 02 C19 SuperNatural 03

There was no confusion as to  how good this was. And as "FOY" Loren recommended before, the fries are quite good and hold up rather well for an hour or so.

Plump, moist shrimp, the roll held up well.

Delivered as expected. I actually wished they still did their sandwiches as salads during this time, but totally understand the limited menu.

C19 SuperNatural 04

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

Hope everyone is in good health and staying sane during this challenging time!

Eating (and drinking) in the Time of Covid-19 – Chicago Fire Grill, Bay Park Fish, and Beer From Harland

How is everyone doing? Here are a couple of stuff-to-go and a couple of cold ones. I'm not going to go into the food much here….it's just not the time for that.

Chicago Fire Grill:

I went to grab a quick lunch for the few souls who are still in the office….plus I wanted to see what "words of wisdom", George, the owner had. Anyway, upon getting there, I ordered from the doorway….George asked me if I could hear him……I told him, "I could hear you from Orange County….."

C-19 Chicago Dog 00

We all had a zillion calls during the day and with all the self-quarantine, it actually felt good to get out for 20 minutes to grab lunch and scurry back to the office and yet another call.

C-19 Chicago Dog

George says that he'll hang in there; though he wasn't totally sure about the hours….he's trying to keep it going at least for lunch.

Chicago Fire Grill
8935 Towne Centre Dr.
San Diego, CA 92122

Bay Park Fish Company:

During my short shopping stop at Seisel's, I saw this sign in front of Bay Park Fish.

C-19 BPF 04

And while BPF has kinda fallen from favor for us over the years; it along with Siesel's were the subject of one of my first posts back in 2005. So I went in and placed an order before I went to Siesel's. When I got out of Siesel's and walked over, my food was ready…….I decided not to take the 30% off and also tip a bit…….it's almost like my responsibility.

C-19 BPF 03

Got the shrimp torta and smoked fish stack.
C-19 BPF 03

C-19 BPF 01

Currently open from noon to 5pm for take-out.

Bay Park Fish Co.
4121 Ashton St.
San Diego, CA 92110

We've been trading food with Frankie's favorite auntie "Alle", who lives close by. One day, she had gone on a "beer run" to Harland and graciously gave some brews.

Here's the Harland Japanese Lager.

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And something really special; the Harland MoMo Mochi IPA.

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Nice, slightly fruity, mildly sweet, in the session IPA hoppiness scale….very nice Hazy IPA made with…well "Momo" (peaches) of course.

Thanks Alle!

Be safe everyone!

Eating (and drinking) in the Time of Covid-19 – Soup, Sandwich Emporium, and Beer from Bay Hill Tavern

First off; we sincerely hope that your family, friends, and loved ones are in good health.

It's been an interesting couple of weeks for me; I haven't had a day off in a couple of weeks. Still, we've had to make due with all the restaurant and bar closures.

I'm figuring most of you are eating like us….here's some Cauliflower Soup I made.

Cauliflower Soup

The secret ingredient, other than the truffle oil and bacon fat; is that I use saved up Parmesan rinds when making the soup. It adds a nice, milky-savory flavor to soups. So, go ahead and freeze those rinds; don't throw them away.

While the rational part of my brain wasn't surprised when the order came down to end dine-in service at restaurants; another part of me was jolted….I mean…..I kinda like eating out (in case that wasn't obvious). So what to do?

Well we are eating at home and such, and many places are closed, but there are lists like this one and of course Social Media, where you can find places that will deliver. And since one of those places and I go back to the beginning of the blog, I got some of the folks in the office to team up and place a pick-up order.

S Julio 01 S Julio 02It was, like most times a decent sandwich. I think the fact that we were able to help out a place that is close to home made it taste even better.

Sandwich Emporium
3054 1/2 Clairemont Drive
San Diego,CA

Give them a call at one of the three locations to see what the hours are.

Speaking of close to home. I was driving home when I saw this……

Bay Hill Tav 01 Bay Hill Tav 02While I'm sure there was a hint of humor here….after all, the crowds on most evenings from Wednesday to Saturday! I still felt something stir inside….perhaps I was thirsty?

So, I went into the parking lot; which is usually packed, today…..it was desolate. And decided, while I wasn't hungry, I was going to make dinner at home, I did need a digestif, right?

So tonight after dinner; I'll have my Duchesse…or as we were correected and laughed at in Belgium; a "Doo-Chezz"!

And nope, I haven't actually had a drink, nor eaten at Bay Hill Tavern yet……wouldn't it be funny if the first meal I had there would be during the Coronavirus outbreak?

I was told that they are open afternoon and evenings, with to-go brunch on weekends. You can check their website.

Bay Hill Tavern
3010 Clairemont Drive
San Diego, CA 92117

Bay Hill Tav 03

Of course, who knows what tomorrow…or even tonight will bring?

Take care and best wishes from us!

Revisits – Barrio Donas and Pho Hoa Huong

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

Barrio Donas:

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

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

B Donas Rev 01

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

B Donas Rev 02 B Donas Rev 03On the good side; the light and airy bolillo roll was still warm as I opened up the sandwich. These days; it seems that there's a lot less salsa and spice, and much more cheese. It's not quite the sandwich that I really used to enjoy….it seems a bit out of balance, a milder and tamer version.

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

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

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

Pho Hoa Huong:

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

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

Pho Hoa H Rev 01 Pho Hoa H Rev 02Being the consistent (or as the Missus calls it, "boring") person that I am. I went with #4.

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

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

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

Pho Hoa H Rev 03

Pho Hoa H Rev 04

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

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

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

Hungry Lu’s- Italian Deli & Goodies (Ocean Beach)

mmm-yoso!!! is being written by Cathy today; Kirk and His Missus are enjoying a few days off.

Hungry Lu's is located in the midst of homes and a few businesses on Voltaire Street, three blocks East of the Pacific Ocean.  The Ocean Beach community has been able to enjoy this Bakery and Deli since 1973. 6F6CE9B2-2A5C-4453-9DDE-AF3EF3B4EFB9Walk in, order and pay.  There are some tables out front and your order is brought out to you.  
6F6CE9B2-2A5C-4453-9DDE-AF3EF3B4EFB9 Of course, you can just order some meats, cheeses and (wonderful fresh baked) rolls to make your own sandwiches at home.
6F6CE9B2-2A5C-4453-9DDE-AF3EF3B4EFB9
6F6CE9B2-2A5C-4453-9DDE-AF3EF3B4EFB9 We were here in early January and Christmas Cookies were still being baked; a nice way to continue the holiday treats a bit longer (and to ignore a silly resolution)
6F6CE9B2-2A5C-4453-9DDE-AF3EF3B4EFB9 There is a menu on the front window as well as on the wall and taped to the counter inside.  It's simple and has just enough choices, especially if you are walking to or from the beach.1F1C19E3-9483-4276-999C-A7E952BE7395 The "personal size" pizza is quite large, cut into six slices and has a wonderful crust!  All pizzas are priced the same, $6.49.  This, the 'Meat Lovers', includes pepperoni, sausage, salami and mozzarella.  The sauce is a good tomato flavored unadorned deliciousness. 
1F1C19E3-9483-4276-999C-A7E952BE7395 28F42666-14C1-4182-9E51-2BE6059BCDA6 329FB6F9-446B-4CC4-916D-806D199F2B87 The Baked eggplant sandwich, listed under 'Favorite Subs' ($8.99) is simple with eggplant baked in olive oil, mozzarella and the simple yet flavorful tomato marinara.  The sandwich/bread baked here is quite large and half of a sandwich (on the wonderfully tasty toasted bread) is filling. There appeared to be some ricotta on the sandwich also…which made it even better.   
1F1C19E3-9483-4276-999C-A7E952BE7395 There is one item not even listed on the menu, but everyone orders it.  The cannoli shells ( a delicious fried pasty) are near where you place your order at the counter and are filled when you order. The filling is a smooth ricotta with citrus (lemon) and the ends are topped with tiny chocolate chips (optional; as if I'd say no).  The cost was around $3.  

A nice, long time, local sandwich place.

Hungry Lu's 4920 Voltaire Street, San Diego, 92016 (619)223-4722 Open Mon-Fri 10:30-4:30, Sat 10:30-5:30 Closed Sunday.

FireBirds Chicken

**** Firebirds Chicken has closed.

Almost a quarter century ago….though it seems even longer than that; I was in Nashville. I'd heard about Hot Chicken and on my first of two nights in the city, I sought it out. I was told that the place to try was Prince's Hot Chicken Shack, so with map in hand (Smartphones wouldn't be around for another almost another decade), I headed out and found Prince's, braved the line, got a leg quarter XHot….which was more than enough, served on a slice of white bread, which soaked up all of that lardy goodness that dripped off the chicken, and soothed my pain with coleslaw and potato salad. It was surprisingly crisp, moist, with some straight forward burning heat, slightly smokey, the dark meat had great flavor……it was without a doubt memorable. So when Dennis mentioned he was going to Nashville a few years back, I told he had to try some hot chicken, preferably from Prince's. You can read his post here (man, it's been eight years! Dennis, we miss you!).

So, when read that a Nashville Hot Chicken place was opening, I was intrigued. But, after looking at the photos….which, by the way, didn't look like Nashville Hot Chicken to me, I decided to wait until I got back from my trip before making my way to FireBirds.

Firebirds 01

If the location looks a bit familiar, it's because this is where Asmara was for many years and where Pho Saigon Alley was for a blink of an eye.

I arrived at right about 11am…..the place was empty. The set-up looks rather temporary and sparse.

Firebirds 02

The system is like most fast-casual/fast-foodish places; you order and pay at the counter,  take a number….though since I was the only customer in the place, they didn't need to give me one. Service was pleasant. There's one big difference with regards to the "fast" casual concept though…..there's nothing really "fast" about the place; at least on my visits. Wait time for my food was at over 25 minutes during each visit. At least everything is supposed to be made fresh.

I ordered the Big 'ol Chicken, with a single piece ($9.99). Not quite sure how the spice was, I went with medium.

Firebirds 03 Firebirds 04Which was a mistake since this wasn't the least bit spicy….at…all. The fries were more spicy than the chicken. At Prince's I really enjoyed the fact that there was a dark meat option….even the quarter breast had the wing attached. And since it wasn't a "sandwich" per se….you got slices of white bread to sop up all the goodness oozing from the chicken. Here it looked like a typical Sysco fairly dry, boneless chicken breast. The batter was mushy and bland, the sandwich had coleslaw which added texture to the chicken breast. The mayo based sauce really detracted from any flavor the chicken would have. Pickles are always a nice touch for spicy food; but since this wasn't spicy……heck; I think even KFC's (no not that kind of KFC)Hot Chicken is spicier, crisp, and has more flavor than this.

Firebirds 05

The roll had a mild brioche sweetness to it; but was definitely not what I'd call a "Hawaiian Roll".

Like I mentioned earlier; the fries were spicier than the chicken; the dusting of cayenne assured that. Sadly, it either not fried at the right temp, or not long enough as it lacked crispness and was really dry.

Firebirds 06

And since it didn't seem to be salted at all; I had to add salt form the shakers on the table.

Well, that was that……it wasn't Nashville Hot Chicken as I recalled….though even if it wasn't close, if the flavors, prep, and cooking had been good, I'd be all for it.

Still I left wondering how spicy the "Hot" would be so I decided to return and this time went with the "sliders" ($10.99). These came with four "sliders" each with a good sized half tender in them.

Firebirds 07

I actually enjoyed this a bit more…..it was spicier; though still not even a Nashville Hot Chicken "mild" in my mind. While the tenders were on the dry side; at least the batter was a bit more crisp; though I think there's just way too much mayo on these. Just having coleslaw should do it……. The mild sweetness of the rolls helped.

Firebirds 08

The fries were more crisp; though still needed salt added at the table to balance things out. Firebirds 09

On this visit the place was two-thirds full and folks seemed to be enjoying Instagramming their food, if not thoroughly enjoying their meal. Such is the current state of things. To quote Billy Crystal quoting Fernando Lamas:

“It's more important to look good than to feel good." 

As a whole, okay prices, lower level fast-casual prep, quality, and flavor. As for being happy that we have something that is at least Hot Chicken……sorry; I just can't call it Nashville Hot Chicken….. You know how it goes with me. I'm not happy to "just to have something" available……

FireBirds Chicken
4155 University Ave.
San Diego, CA 92105
Hours:
Tues – Thurs 1030am – 930pm
Fri – Sun    1030am – 1030pm
Closed on Mondays

Crafted Greens (El Cajon)

Here we are, back at mmm-yoso!!!, a blog about food.  Cathy is writing today while Kirk and His Missus are enjoying sights and meals elsewhere.

For about a year, this former Starbucks location has operated in the strip mall which includes Junction Steakhouse and Harvest Ranch Market. Finally, The Mister and I dropped in.  We should have tried it sooner.  0A769030-FB8F-48D3-813B-2F187165EB4F
0A769030-FB8F-48D3-813B-2F187165EB4F
0A769030-FB8F-48D3-813B-2F187165EB4F The menu is above as you walk to the cash register to pay.  
0A769030-FB8F-48D3-813B-2F187165EB4F You can see the fresh ingredients and side dishes for the day.  Once you pay, you get a number, find a seat and everything is brought out to you.   
ABB17926-DC0B-43F5-83F6-12AA0D9A5985 There are two scratch-made soups available, always the tomato-basil ($3.45) and a rotating flavor.  The tomato-basil has a fresh tomato and basil flavors (I know, I need a thesaurus) with a rich, creamy texture and the size of the bowl is good.  Easily can be considered a light meal.
0A769030-FB8F-48D3-813B-2F187165EB4F The flatbreads (there are five to choose from) are all priced the same ($7.95). Margherita was my choice on this Friday (I know, kind of redundant with the tomato soup, but it was a first visit and I wanted to try the 'basics').  A nice, crispy (not overly fluffy/chewy) bread with a good olive oil flavor topped with the Mozzarella, tomatoes and basil.  This is, also, a large portion and enough to be a light meal.  
0A769030-FB8F-48D3-813B-2F187165EB4F The Nicoise Salad ($9.95, add a protein $3(ahi tuna)) was wonderful!  Romaine, Mesclun, green beans, egg, tomatoes, fingerling potatoes, capers, olives, dijon balsamic vinaigrette…all very crisp/fresh/bright in flavors.   The medium rare Ahi tuna was seared with a Cajun seasoning, which was just enough to not need any of the other condiments offered.  

If you order a beverage, you get it yourself the first time (the machine is next to the cash register), but someone is always checking on how your meal is going and will refill your beverage (even water) from the soda machine.

We will be returning to try more of the menu very soon. 

Crafted Greens 745 Jamacha Road El Cajon, CA 92019 (619) 328-4044 Website Open Mon-Sat 11-8:30 Sun 11-8

 

Saturday Sandwiches – Revisits to Embargo Grill and Gourmet Artisan

Well, it seems that the heat has returned; at least for this weekend. So, I'll spare you my latest "foray into pho" and stick with some sandwiches for this warm Saturday.

Embargo Grill:

**** Embargo Grill has closed

I was chatting with "Nate" a few weeks back and the subject of Cubano's and similar sandwiches came up. I mentioned Embargo Grill; which was my favorite when I did a comparison post a few years back. Our discussion planted a seed of sorts and since I hadn't been back to Embargo Grill in over a year, I decided to drop by and grab a Medianoche…..I decided to grab one for Nate as well and took it to go.

SS Emb Grill 01 SS Emb Grill 02This was a lot messier than I recalled; though the bread held out well for the short 15 minute trip. Nice amount of mustard, good pickles, you still really can't make out the ham; the cheese was oozy and stringy. The pulled pork did taste a bit different; much more salty and for some reason, there was a fairly strong taste of cumin.

Not bad; but not quite as good as what I'd had during past visits. I'll have to have one at the restaurant during my next visit.

Embargo Grill
3960 W Point Loma Blvd
San Diego, CA 92110

Gourmet Artisan:

My usual go to in this strip mall on Miramar Road is SuperNatural Sandwiches (and Loren; you're right, those fries at SNS are really good! Thanks!), but it had been a while since I'd gotten a sandwich from Gourmet Artisan; so I decided to grab a sandwich from there instead.

SS Art Gour 01

I'd enjoyed the Italian Sub the best during my previous visits; so I order one. And previous experience had me tell them to go easy on the dressing.

SS Art Gour 02 SS Art Gour 03My biggest disappointment was that the fries no longer had parmesan and garlic on it. They had also not held up well during the short trip back to the office and were soggy. The fries used to be one of my favorite things about ordering a sandwich here.

The sandwich; which wasn't oozing dressing and mayo this time around still edges close to "too much bread", but was fine. I still think that the Swiss Cheese isn't a great match for this sandwich. I enjoyed the crisp romaine lettuce and the tomatoes were nice and ripe. A thin layer of pepperoni and salami; the pepperoncini adds a nice crunch and "zip" to the sandwich. 

SS Art Gour 04

A decent sandwich; but I really miss those fries!

I do like the nice folks who work here though.

Gourmet Artisan
7094 Miramar Rd. Suite 105
San Diego, CA 92121

Sunday Sandwiches – Breakfasts at Bay Park Coffee

Bay Park Coffee 01A few months ago; I took the long way to Costco on my Sunday fuel run. I decided to finally stop by Bay Park Coffee. I usually drop by the Poseidon Project next door about once a week for a pint or two, but had never really thought about checking out Bay Park Coffee.

If I'm headed this way in the morning; I'd usually drop by Bird Rock on Morena. But on this day, I decided to drop on by.

I just had a cold brew; which had a bit more sweetness and acidity than what I'd had at West Bean. And I really enjoyed the no frills neighborhood feel of the place.

Bay Park Coffee 02

I also recognized the person running the register on this day, he was very familiar and was a bit surprised that I remembered him. My good buddy Candice confirmed that the owner, Rio Bay Park Coffee 02ahelped open Menya Ultra and even worked at Ota for awhile!

While the cold brew wasn't as good as the version at Bird Rock, I decided to return the following weekend after looking at the simple Breakfast/Brunch/Lunch menu. I'd enjoyed my simple breakfast sandwiches from West Bean and thought I should give this place a try. Especially after seeing all the folks having breakfast.

So, I returned the following weekend. It was already pretty hot and humid out, so I ordered a cold brew.

Bay Park Coffee 03

I decided on getting a Croissant Sandwich; the ham, egg, and cheese was nicely priced at $6.75. When I asked where the croissant came from; I was told Bread & Cie….sigh, not my favorite baker in San Diego; but what the heck…..they make a fairly huge croissant.

Bay Park Coffee 04 Bay Park Coffee 05And, as you can see; this was pretty hefty. Based on the tiny kitchen; I expected IQF scrambled eggs; but these were fairly creamy, moist, and the cheddar did well. The saltiness from the ham along with the eggs really helped to temper what I don't care for about the B&C croissant. While nice and flakey, a fairly light, it really doesn't have the buttery-saltiness I look for in a croissant. Used as a sandwich though; it did well.

The young lady working the register was smiling and full of sunshine on this morning as well. I noticed a couple of tables eating something I would usually never think to have at a coffee shop. So, the next weekend, on the way to Catalina Offshore I stopped by for breakfast. Things weren't quite as warm on this weekend morning so I had an Americano to start off.

Bay Park Coffee 06

I had seen folks eating a ton of avocado toasts….which, well, I would just eat at home. But, I had also noticed quite a few folks having the Lox & Levain. Now, to be perfectly honest, I'd usually not have lox (I haven't lox in a while….I should make some soon) at a coffee shop. But, since Rio had worked at Ota; I thought perhaps the quality of the lox would be decent.

Bay Park Coffee 07 Bay Park Coffee 08And while I'd have enjoyed a bit more salmon on my bread, what there was tasted perfectly fine. Like I said before; this place loves their avocado; which did well on this sandwich along with the nice smear of cream cheese. It really did a good job of balancing out the usually too chewy bread. Good amount of dill which helped to carve through all that fat. Not bad at all. The open faced sandwich rested on a bed of arugula, and the bitterness acted as a nice foil to the richness as well.

After back-to-back road trips over the last two weekends and some scorching, muggy weather to boot, I decided to drop by for a cold brew and a bite before heading off on my weekend errands. Immediately after placing my order, the guy manning the counter asked me if I was from Hawaii. I said yes and he started talking in Pidgin! His name is Noel, he lived in Hawaii, in my old neighborhood, Kaimuki!

Bay Park Coffee 09

I got his story; he moved to Honolulu to study Taiko Drumming with the legendary Kenny Endo! He now runs his own troupe here in San Diego and is also the General Manager of Bay Park Coffee. You go bruddah!

I had ordered the Pesto Turkey Sandwich and Noel recommended some cheese scrambled eggs to go with it.

Bay Park Coffee 10 Bay Park Coffee 11There was a good amount of pesto, lots of rich-nutty-earthy flavors to the turkey sandwich. Again, I enjoyed the arugula, which added a nice, pleasant peppery-bitterness. The bread was a bit too chewy and the crust was tough. The scrambled eggs was passable and this was more than what I could consume for breakfast.

Bay Park Coffee 12In the end; while I prefer the cold brew at Bird Rock, I prefer the food and coffee here to West Bean. I also really like the relaxed vibe and friendly staff here. Plus, I got a kick talking to Noel….he makes me miss "home". I guess I have another option for a unfussy, light breakfast, and coffee in the neighborhood. Plus, I run into folks from the neighborhood and on my last visit folks I knew from Thai Papaya who were looking at a nearby property for expansion. Now wouldn't that be a nice addition to the 'hood?

Bay Park Coffee
4130 Napier St
San Diego, CA 92110
Hours:
Mon – Fri 7am – 5pm
Sat       730am – 5pm
Sun       730am – 3pm