Sandwiches – Page 14

Sunday Sandwiches – A Revisit to the Philadelphia Sandwich Company and a Visit to Cali Banh Mi (Convoy)

June 7, 2020 mmm-yoso Banh Mi, Cheesesteaks, Sandwiches

Revisiting the Philadelphia Sandwich Company:

So, after getting that weird answering machine message from The Sandwich A'Fare and deciding to drive past and figure out what was going on….well, I still needed lunch. So, I just went ahead and called in a takeout order to the Philadelphia Sandwich Company. As before, I ordered the "Joe's Special".

It's kinda interesting as this time around they included a fork wrapped with my Cheesesteak?

Lots of mushrooms and peppers on this one this time around. The bread, which was an Amoroso, was on the soggy side, the meat a bit too chewy and bland.

Though I did learn something……the nice woman working recommended I get some hot sauce for my sandwich, which I took….tasted like Frank's Red Hot…..but strangely, it added acidity, heat, and most of all, more flavor to the rather bland sandwich.

Go figure……

I do like the folks working here….wish the Cheesesteaks were a bit better though……

The Philadelphia Sandwich Company
6904 Miramar Rd. Suite 207
San Diego, CA 92121

Cali Banh Mi (Convoy):

After doing a bit of shopping at Nijiya I headed home, but wanted a bite to eat. I decided to stop in at Cali Banh Mi. I hadn't been to the place since it changed from being a location of Cali Baguette Express.

There were benches set-up for distancing from the counter.

I got a simple Banh Mi with Egg……I tried to order an Op La; but the young man had no idea what I was saying…..I'll give him the benefit of the doubt….that my pronunciation just sucked.

This wasn't terrible, but the banh mi was too chewy and doughy, lacking in the light, flakey-crustiness of a good banh mi. The fillings were fine, if a bit on the stingy side….even for a Banh Mi….where I usually argue that proportion is the most important thing. So, after this location, along with multiple visits to the Garnet Avenue locale, my opinion remains the same. Americanized Banh Mi not to offend……

Cali Banh Mi
4425 Convoy Street
San Diego, CA 92111

Midweek Meanderings – Bird Rock Morena Reopens, Is the Sandwich A’Fare Closed, and Other Stuff

May 27, 2020 mmm-yoso Caffeine Fix, Sandwiches

Bird Rock Morena Reopens:

I got the word via their website. The Missus was happy….Bird Rock is Her favorite.

Perhaps being closed for a few weeks actually helped this location of Bird Rock….of course we missed their coffee, but the place was undergoing renovation anyway and this is what it looked like a few weeks back.

Now let's forward the calendar a bit……

Pretty spiffy, eh?

I was a bit confused at first; but you just follow the yellow lines……

Lot's of plexiglass dividers up. Currently cashless transactions and limited hours. The crew here is still wonderful to work with.

And the Missus got Her "Geisha" pour over, not cheap at $10 a pop….but it puts Her in a better mood…..which is priceless.

Bird Rock Coffee Roasters
1270 Morena Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92110

The Missus is happy to have them back.

Is the Sandwich A'Fare Closed?

I'd been doing phone orders from The Sandwich A'Fare about every other week since mid-April. So, I became a bit worried when I called and got a weird message that went something like "all routes closed". It seemed very strange; so I drove on over and the Sandwich A'Fare looks like it's closed.

Which would be a bummer. I have a soft spot for these little Mom-and-Pop sandwich places.

And where else in the area can you get a decent sandwich for $6.25????

I'm certain the location….hidden in the back of Miramar Center doesn't help things…..

I just Googled "Sandwich A'Fare" and it says permanently closed.

Sad……

The Sandwich A'Fare
6904 Miramar Rd. Suite 107
San Diego, CA 92121

Speaking of sad……

I went by Clairemont Town Square a few weeks back…..to grab the Missus a croissant from Arely's and some cash from the ATM. I'd heard that Troy's Family Restaurant had closed.

Even though I wasn't a big fan of the place; I believe that every neighborhood needs a place like Troy's or Perry's or Rudford's…….places like those are like the roots of a neighborhood, they keep things anchored in place, nourish it even as it grows and spreads out to the sky and replenishes the fruits that grow above. It's a place of cherished memories…..

It's quite sad….and oh my, the notes taped on the windows and doors.

I feel the pain.

After all, I read that a favorite of mine from small kid time, a place I cherished, Like Like Drive had closed after 67 years.

Not much else to say really……

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

May 13, 2020 mmm-yoso Cocktails, French Restaurants, Sandwiches

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.

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.

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.

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.

The 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.

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)

May 1, 2020 mmm-yoso Sandwiches

**** 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.

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.

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.

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

March 31, 2020 mmm-yoso Beer, Hot Dogs, Sandwiches, Seafood

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….."

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.

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.

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.

Got the shrimp torta and smoked fish stack.

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.

And something really special; the Harland MoMo Mochi IPA.

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

March 19, 2020 mmm-yoso Beer, Cooking, Pubs and Pub Grub, Sandwiches

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.

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.

It 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……

While 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

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

February 26, 2020 mmm-yoso Mexican Restaurants, Pho, Sandwiches, Vietnamese Restaurants

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.

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

On 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.

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…..

Being 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.

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)

January 19, 2020 Cathy Bakery, Desserts, Italian Restaurants, Pizza, Sandwiches, What Cathy Eats!

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. Walk in, order and pay. There are some tables out front and your order is brought out to you.
Of course, you can just order some meats, cheeses and (wonderful fresh baked) rolls to make your own sandwiches at home.

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)
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. 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.
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.
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

December 26, 2019 mmm-yoso American/New American Restaurants, Sandwiches

**** 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.

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.

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.

Which 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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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)

December 3, 2019 Cathy Salads, Sandwiches, What Cathy Eats!

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.

The menu is above as you walk to the cash register to pay.
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.
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.
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.
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