Sandwiches – Page 24

Havana Grill – Some First Impressions

January 11, 2016 mmm-yoso Cuban Restaurants, Latin American Cuisine, Sandwiches

Boy, did Havana Grill take their sweet old time opening. I'm not sure what the roadblocks were, but I'd mentioned seeing their signage back in June. Still, I was intrigued to finally see them open about a month ago.

The shop is one of those "fast-casual" type places; you order at the counter, take number and have a seat. The restaurant was still in it's soft-opening phase when I visited, so I can understand the rather slow delivery of some of my orders and that some of the items; specifically the mojo was a bit different on my visits. I will say this; the staff is very friendly.

My adventures started with the Ropa Vieja – "old clothes", the classic Cuban shredded beef dish. Not cheap at $13.

This was probably the best version of this dish I've had in San Diego. The beef was perfectly toothsome, but not tough and overly stringy. The flavor was mellow, but the brininess of the capers and olives lifted the dish. The beef flavor was present and the sodium level low. Of all the items I had, it was the black beans that made an impression; sweet-salty-beany, cumin lurking in the background; the texture of the beans was nice, and it was neither too runny or too mushy. The really nice guy named Alex, told me that their recipe uses 17 ingredients. I bought a side order for the Missus who really enjoyed it.

The mojo had a bit too much oil and not enough citrus or garlic flavor for me.

The plantains….were plantains…… just being their sweet ol' selves.

During my meal, Alex told me that Havana Grill baked their own bread. So you know what I had to try, right?

On my next visit, I went with the El Cubano ($10), the hot pressed Cubano Sandwich. I was surprised at the amount of nicely fried plantain chips when I opened my container.

I actually enjoyed this sandwich….and the plantain chips.

The weak link to most Cubanos for me is the roast pork, which tends to be dry and tasteless….the "other white meat". The pork here had decent pork flavor. And combined with ham (salty-savory), the Swiss cheese (milky goodness), the pickles (crunch and a slight sweet-brine), and the mustard, this was pretty darn good. The bread didn't look like much, but actually had some nice flavor and held up fairly well after being pressed.

I had asked for a recommendation for my next visit when I ordered my sandwich and was told to try either the Bistec or the Havana Chicken Sandwich. I ended up getting both during my next two visits.

The Bistec ($14) is basically shredded beef and could have used a bit more of a sear to enhance the texture, it was also cold in the middle.

It was also quite mild in flavor, I'm used to Bistec Encebollado and expect some bold flavors; garlic, lime, black pepper…on pounded beef. This seemed the same cut as the ropa vieja.

The black beans were as good as on my previous visits. This time around; the mojo had some punchy garlic and perhaps a bit too much salt, but not enough citrus for my taste. Still it was needed to add some oomph to the beef.

On my most recent visit I tried the Havana Chicken Sandwich ($9).

On the good side; this wasn't a shrinking violet when it came to flavor, lots of garlic-citrus tomes and perhaps teetering on the edge of being too salty. The onions did quite well, but the sandwich also seemed a bit greasy. Also, the pounded chicken breast was a bit on the dry side. The menu said that the sandwich was dressed with watercress, but I found none. I think the crunch and slight bitter-peppery flavor would have been a nice addition to the sandwich. I like the roll, which seems simple, but reminds me of a good solid French style roll which is great for "dipping".

I enjoyed my visits to Havana Grill, the folks are very friendly, and the place seems like a work in progress. It seems that homestyle recipes are being adapted for restaurant use and systems are still being put in place. The fact that Havana Grill is close to work means that I'll keep visiting on those days when I need a change of pace. I hope they keep up the nice service and get their recipes and systems in line. There also seems to be items on the menu; the empanadas come to mind that really won't do well being cooked ahead and placed under heat lamps. Hopefully all of that will shake out in time. Oh, and I hope they dial in the mojo……

Havana Grill
5450 Clairemont Mesa Blvd
San Diego, CA 92117
Open Daily 11am – 9pm

Sunday Sandwiches: Baguette Bros

December 13, 2015 mmm-yoso Banh Mi, Chicken Wings, Sandwiches

**** Baguette Bros has closed

Baguette Bros soft opened to a bit of hype a couple of weeks ago. Since it was fairly close to work, I managed to visit a couple of times.

Located in the same strip mall as China Max, Xi'an Kitchen, et al, the menu features twists on Banh Mi, chickens wings, versions VN coffee and drinks, and some Craft Beer (too IPA heavy – not my favorite match for Banh Mi). For some reason this seems to be a Food Truck menu in a brick and mortar shop……after all the NRA (no, not that NRA – the National Restaurant Association) says that the latest trend is from Food Truck to Brick and Mortar.

I like the nice, wide open set-up, very much the norm in places that want to attract the demographic that would want "Fusion Vietnamese Sandwiches"

I decided to go straight for the coronary artery and went with the Belly Flop ($8). The sandwich took a while, which didn't bother me. First this is the soft opening period and systems are still being put in place. Second, it means that my sandwich is being prepped fresh.

As the name indicates, this is a pork belly based Banh Mi. First off, the bread is standard issue. Probably from Le Chef. Because of how "stuffed" the sandwich is, it didn't hold up too on the short 10 minute trip back to the office, the bread had gotten gummy and for some reason, even though it was toasted, wasn't crusty enough.

The amount of pork belly was quite generous and along with the "sweet chili sauce", which seemed like a hoisin based sauce seemed the biggest deviation on what you'd consider something other than a super-stuffed banh mi. The classic cucumber, pickled veggies, and cilantro were nicely done. I loved the jalapenos which helped to cut the sweetness of the sauce.

One complaint would be the belly skin, which, if not fried properly is like eating plastic…..a rather unpleasant surprise.

Things come bundled with Shrimp Chips.

I thought my sandwich was pretty good so a couple of days later I returned with Calvin. I just can't put away food like I used to so having Calvin along would mean we could try a variety of items. Plus, MrC, who is originally from the SGV, his wife from Little Saigon, has had his share of Banh Mi.

My favorite sandwich of the three I had was the "Broguette" ($6). Loved the pate in this, wish they had put jalapenos on it and gone a bit easier on the Maggi, or whatever sauce they used as it was on the salty side. The head cheese was really mild but added texture, as did the Cha Lua, and the bread did well minus the travel time to my desk. As a whole, this was pretty much all about the pate.

We also ordered the "Grasshogger" ($6) – basically a Lemongrass Pork Banh Mi.

Calvin and I had the same reaction upon taking a bite of this; "whoa….too much salt…too much lemongrass". It needed something to balance out the flavors. The pork was actually fairly moist.

There was one other item I wanted to try. The Fish Sauce Chicken Wings.

Calvin liked the rather large sized wings, whereas I'm more about skin to meat ratio. We both agreed that the wings were fried perfectly, but that there was too much fish sauce in this…again, making it a bit too salty. The garlic was good, not too bitter, but this had me missing Que Huong.

I was rather pleased with what BB offered (i.e. the menu), though the execution and flavors were not quite there. I am looking forward to visiting again after the Grand Opening period. Nice folks, service a bit slow, but that's to be expected as they get their systems down.

So perhaps it's worth a visit from you…..though I think they'll be pretty busy now that Eater has declared them one of the 5 new restaurants to visit.

Baguette Bros
4698 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111

Please check out Kirbie's post as well!

Continental Delicatessen (Escondido)

December 1, 2015 Cathy German Restaurants and Food, Pizza, Sandwiches, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso!!! is the name of this blog. Kirk, Ed(from Yuma) and Cathy write about food. Right now, Kirk and Ed are relaxing and Cathy is writing.

The Mister and I have the habit of eating a meal before grocery shopping. We've been in Escondido quite a bit and had noticed that the kitchen used by Vinz Wine Bar shared the courtyard and kitchen within this small business. Continental Deli is just across the alley from Escogelato and has been there since about 2010.Walking inside, you are greeted with some glassed refrigerators holding pizza already sliced and waiting to be re-warmed. Walk by it, pass the meat and cheese refrigerator (Thumanns Natural brand meats as well as some German cold cuts), peruse the menu board, order and pay and your food will be brought to your table. which is always covered with a colorful tablecloth.Each day, a home made soup is available until sold out. This day it was mushroom soup ($3). The thickener was potato and it was wonderful.Two slices of pizza and a self serve soda ($6) make a nice meal. There were other pizzas with more interesting toppings available, but The Mister and I are simple folk when the pie is thin crusted.The #9 sandwich, Liverwurst and Butterkäse (butter cheese), on rye (and with onions, which aren't photographed because this is not my half) ($.6.95) is one of my favorite sandwiches in the world. I enjoy this version because of the quality and freshness-of the bread as well as the soft cheese and fresh, thick slices of liverwurst.

This past summer, we purchased one of each sausage (knackwurst (pork), bratwurst (pork) and bockwurst (veal)) for a total of $4.Cooking each on the grill brought out the multitude of flavors from each of the various herbs and spices used in the sausages.

Continental Deli is a great place for the people living in the Northern part of the county. We're glad we found it.

Continental Delicatessen 120 S. Kalmia Street 92025 (760) 745-8007 Open Mon-Thurs 9-8, Fri 9-9, Sat 10-8 Closed Sunday Deli menu is on the Vinz website

Tip Top Meats, again – The restaurant (Carlsbad)

November 22, 2015 Cathy German Restaurants and Food, Markets & Grocers, Sandwiches, What Cathy Eats!

Thanks for stopping to read mmm-yoso!!! during this short week before Thanksgiving. Kirk is still vacationing and Ed (from Yuma) is enjoying the week before a holiday without having to rush and finish up things at work so Cathy is writing.

There has been a birthday breakfast post, an ordinary breakfast post, a lunch (sandwich and a steak and stein) post so now I will write about some more lunches and a dinner choice that's only available on Friday/Saturday/Sunday after 4 p.m., thereby still not covering even half of the menu available at this wonderful German Meat Market in store restaurant which has been in Carlsbad since 1977.Here's a photo of the actual entrance door into the market area, instead of the the side parking lot photos in all the other posts. The restaurant is to the far left as you walk in. Lentil, vegetable beef, beef barley or oxtail soups are some of the daily three usual choices. We tend to order the soups instead of salads here, because the salads are ordinary and served with a packet of dressing you squeeze on yourself…the soups are made fresh daily. The Lamb Chop meal ($9.99) is listed on the 'other' side of the menu board (which is above and on the way toward the cash register). Some people miss that other side of the menu board, although I've noticed the paper to go menus are stacked so that people can grab and read while waiting to order and pay.

The lamb chops? Excellent, beautifully grilled to a barely medium; tender, juicy and flavorful. Sides are the soup, mashed with gravy, a dinner roll and both red and regular sauerkraut (red kraut is sweet, the white kraut is more stringent (vinegar based) and has pieces of ham or bacon in it). There's a 'Cold Sandwich' menu board as well as a 'Hot Sandwich' menu board. Pretty much all the sandwiches are $8.99. So, the above pork cutlet sandwich was my choice one day; tender grilled pork cutlet on a fresh toasted roll with lettuce, tomato and grilled onion. I chose German potato salad as my side-it sort of reminds me of a smashed up baked potato (probably because of the bacon bits along with the fact that it is a warm potato salad).Year round, an Oktoberfest Plate is available ($8.99) Three grilled sausages: Polish, Knackwurst and Bratwurst along with German potato salad, kraut and red cabbage and a roll. The sausages are made fresh in the store and have a wonderful mix of seasonings and fresh flavors.Then there is my craving-stuffed cabbage ($9.49) a giant cabbage leaf stuffed with lean meatloaf then baked. It's topped with some sour cream and a tomato slice (excellent flavor, texture and temperature contrasts) and soup or salad, a sweet pickle slice, dinner roll and choice of cabbage…which I can never choose between, so I get both.Looking up at the menu on the wall/ceiling, both the Steak and Stein and 'Special Steak' Dinners have been 'special occasion' meals. My brother was visiting last month and we drove up to Tip Top and had a little feast for about $15 a person. Each us did choose a soup (two vegetable soups and one oxtail soup, which is pretty much a rich gravy rather than soupy), The Mister had chosen a Steak and Stein meal- so that's his stein (it was a tangerine wheat beer).The Mister's New York Strip ($14.98, including the stein of beer). It was topped with the grilled onions (which I received unceremoniously on my plate right after photos were taken) and His chosen sides of a baked potato and broccoli, along with a slice of sweet pickle and a roll. Look at the menu sign again, bottom right- Special Steak Dinner. Choose a steak, pay for it and it will be cooked for you…add $4.98 to get all the sides. Choosing the filet mignon size and marble he wanted, my brother's choice still ended up costing around $10 (the filet is $24/lb) plus the $4.98, but he did get exactly what he wanted, and the butcher gives you a selection of seasoning to put on the filet. (The Steak and Stein filet choice is probably smaller.) While waiting in line (all those people are in front of us waiting to order and pay). Notice the menu board ahead to the right above the refrigerated pastry case. {It's the third menu board from the left; those two are the breakfast menu}.

"Prime Rib Roast $14.98 From 4:30 – 8 p.m. on Friday, Saturday and Sunday only
A massive portion of prime rib served with mash potatoes and gravy, baked potato or french fries, red cabbage, sauerkraut or broccoli, soup or salad and a dinner roll".The first time that The Mister and I came to Tip Top Meats, the line was the same, the menu board was the same (except for the prices- the Prime Rib Roast was $4.98 then) and the food was almost the same; you also were given one rib bone on the plate back then.

This is a weekend evening only special and so very good. Yes, you are looking at two very thick slices of prime Prime rib plus everything else I usually choose for my plate.

I hope you have an organized, planned week ahead!

Tip Top Meats 6118 Paseo Norte Carlsbad, CA 92011 (760)438-2620 Open seven days 6 am-8 pm Website

Golden Egg Omelet House-Escondido

November 16, 2015 Cathy American/New American Restaurants, Breakfast/Brunch, Sandwiches, What Cathy Eats!

Thanks for stopping and reading mmm-yoso!!!, a food blog. Kirk is not here, Ed (from Yuma) is in Yuma and Cathy is writing a post about another San Diego breakfast-lunch place.

Golden Egg Omelet House is located at an obscure corner of an obscure mall just South of the 78, on Broadway at Centre City Parkway(at the NorthEast corner). Once you see the McDonald's, drive in and go around and behind the building that is behind the McDonald's Drive Thru. You may or may not have ever seen or heard of it, but it's been in Escondido over 35 years. A local spot.The decor is unique…let's call it 'Country Charm'.Walking in, there is a White Board of daily specials.

The menu is one large page-breakfasts on one side and lunches on the other side. There are almost 100 omelet creations to choose from, with primary meats of Bacon, ham, sausage, ground beef, turkey, chicken, Italian sausage, Polish Sausage, corned beef, shrimp and even chili. There's a choice of just about every vegetable imaginable: tomato, spinach, mushroom, zucchini, bell pepper, green onion, green chiles, avocado. artichokes, olives, broccoli and potato. Of course there's also a choice of cheese: Jack, Cheddar, American, Pepper Jack or Swiss. If you don't see an omelet listed, you can make your own; they have the ingredients.

One note: the omelets are HUGE. They come with toast, no potato. If you'd like Dudley's date walnut toast, it's an extra 39 cents.The #89 omelet ($11.09 plus 39¢ for the fancier Dudley's toast). Bacon, ham and Polish sausage with Jack cheese. A wonderfully filling, protein packed meal. So flavor packed.

There is also a separate menu of just potato casseroles. A midwest favorite, sometimes referred to as Hotdish - all the components of a meal in a dish. Each casserole is named for a State.

This is the Nebraska ($9.99) It's one of those Costco sized baked potatoes, chopped up and topped with ground beef, mushrooms, onion, tomato, Jack cheese and topped with a mushroom sauce. This is quite large, filling and easily could be shared or used as a side to share at the table.Here's some more of the eclectic indoor decor. Just about everything decorating the interior is for sale…this is good in case something strikes your fancy.One Friday, The Mister decided to order the White Board "Rat Race Special" ($8.59) (it's only available Mon-Fri). The soup of the day was mushroom. Made from scratch, wonderful, solidly mushroom flavored. The fact that it comes with a full (not half) sandwich is great. Turkey- a lot of turkey, on very large slices of fresh, soft whole wheat with mayonnaise, lettuce and tomato. This was a wonderful meal.Ever since I had 'found' a tuna salad stuffed tomato at The Village Kitchen this summer, I've been on the lookout for other versions. The version here ($9.69) exceeded all expectations.

The (excellent) tuna salad stuffed tomato is on top of a bed of lettuce- enough to be its own salad. The accompaniments- artichokes, hard boiled egg, avocado, cheese and pickle fully round out the plate and then there's the delightful toasted garlic bread…a meal. A wonderful meal.

Golden Egg Omelet House 316 West Mission Avenue Escondido 92025 (760) 489-6420 Website open 7 a.m.-2:30 p.m., daily
This wonderful 1950's signage (and store) is on the opposite end of the same parking lot.

2016 Tournament of Roses Rose Parade Float Road Test #6, breakfast at Sandwiches by Connal

October 29, 2015 Cathy American/New American Restaurants, Breakfast/Brunch, Festivals & Events, Los Angeles County, Sandwiches, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso!!! is a food blog. There are always reasons about how we (Kirk, Ed (from Yuma) and Cathy) get around to the food. Today, Cathy is writing about one of her monthly road trips to Pasadena.

Late October and yet floats are being constructed and necessarily being tested for safety and maneuverability prior to their participation in the 127th Tournament of Roses Rose Parade, which will occur on January 1, 2016. The Theme of the parade this year is "Find Your Adventure" and will be held in conjunction with the National Park Service, which will be celebrating its 100th year since being entrusted with the care of over 400 locations of the National Parks of the United States.

The day starts early for road tests. We have to be on the road by 5 a.m., to be at the Phoenix Decorating Company barn by 7 a.m.. There is another company which constructs floats along with six floats which are self made and all have different road testing days. Since The Mister and I have decorated floats with the Petal Pushers, who assist with many of the floats made by Phoenix Decorating since before I began writing on this blog, we usually only drive up to see the Phoenix floats being road tested. The American Armenian Rose Float Association will have its second float, "Discover Armenia" in the parade in January, and it is again very detailed, showing 17 different Armenian architectural symbols.Back in August, this very long float was road tested. (You can see the Driver to the right in a red shirt and the Spotter of the float to the left, with the yellow chair).Knowing that base showed nothing of the float design, I waited for more details of this steampunk design titled "Fearless Flyer". Once the colors are marked for the live and dry materials, this Trader Joe's float will really take shape. It collapses down on that accordion pleated central area…and yes, there will be steam coming from various parts of the float as it drives down Colorado Boulevard. This will be one of the more magnificent floats in the parade.The Destination Irvine float, "Innovation Rocks" has been outlined and colored and now looks like the artist rendition. It is ready for decoration, which will begin on December 5.

You can see the artist renditions of all the floats I've shown you so far this year at this link.Peeking into the barn before leaving, we saw this small boat with an outboard motor…and I know Honda (the parade sponsor) makes outboard motors…so I'm thinking this is part of the first float you'll see as the parade starts. {I was wrong: the above outboard motor is part of the Farmers Insurance "Along for the Ride" float. Additional artist renditions of the floats were added to the above link after this post was published.}

We were off to breakfast and decided to stop at Sandwiches by Connal, which has been in Pasadena since 1958 (and which I wrote about last year, after another road test).Not much has changed since September 2014. The prices are for 'to go' items and it costs a bit less because we eat in. We've been here more than once, so here's a compendium of breakfast items. The bacon breakfast burrito ($4.99) is made with three eggs and hash browns and bacon. The sausage croissant ($3.99) is similarly prepared. As always: hearty, fresh and excellent. The bacon breakfast sandwich (on wheat) ($4.59) is made with folded (not shredded) lettuce leaves, tomato, egg and bacon. Always a favorite. The chorizo burrito ($5.29) weighs more than a pound (because, again, three eggs and hash browns as well as a lot of chorizo) and comes with red or green sauce added for you.The Ribeye steak and eggs ($7.99). Three eggs, hash browns, toast and a good size piece of tender meat…a nice way to begin the rest of the day.

I hope your week is going well!

Sandwiches by Connal 1505 East Washington Pasadena, CA 91104 (626)794-5018 Website (the menu website links have old prices, the wall prices in the photo above are 'to go' prices, it's about 50¢ less per item when you eat in).

Alaskan Seafood Connection (Normal Heights)

October 4, 2015 Cathy American/New American Restaurants, Sandwiches, Seafood, What Cathy Eats!

mmm- yoso!!! is a food blog. Today, Cathy is writing a blog post so that Kirk and Ed(from Yuma) can relax and enjoy more of this beautiful, cool weekend.

It's that time of year again; The Mister celebrated his birthday and mine was a week later. We go out to eat every day in between and therefore I have quite a few meals to share with you.

Today's post is from a 'my choice' day. The Mister didn't know where I was driving nor what to expect, as is common during our birthday week…we only discuss sharing items when ordering but not restaurant choices.From across the street, I was happy to see the two tables in front of Corner Liquor (which is near but not *on* the South East corner of Adams at Felton) were empty. Those two tables and six chairs are the only seating available.

Alaskan Seafood Connection has shared a space within Corner Liquor since 2013. Seeing an up close of the sandwich board with the current menu should make it clearer to you as to why I chose Alaskan Seafood Connection for my special lunch. Here's a peek inside the door. The menu is repeated on the counter.Walk to the far end of the counter to place your order and pay. You can also purchase refrigerated and frozen seafood items from the cases on this side. You place your order and pay…and will be told how long the wait will be.

The back and other side of the space (not photographed) is the beverage/liquor store and its cash register is just across from this one. (You know, in case you want a beverage with your meal). Our 'appetizer' choice: 'Steamed P.E. Mussels' ($5.99). 'P.E.' is an abbreviation for Prince Edward Island Mussels, a sustainable seafood item. These small yet meaty mussels were simply steamed and served with a garlic butter. There were about two dozen in this serving (usually we count, but we didn't this time). We ended up tearing off some bread to eat the mussels and butter from the below item-The Lobster Roll ($12.99). Fresh Maine lobster broken into chunks and mixed simply with mayonnaise, salt and pepper…served on a lightly toasted roll with some lettuce and sweet pickles. There was a lot of lobster meat in this sandwich. The simple preparation made the sweet meatiness of the fresh cooked lobster shine through.Deciding on a fried item was easy for us; the Fried Scallop Platter ($9.99) included french fries and cole slaw…more to share. The sweet Bay scallops were breaded and fried to perfection (as were the potatoes). The slaw was refreshing and simply sauced.

There are condiments on the counter if needed, but all of the items are just right, to my taste.

All in all, a tasty, fresh and fun birthday lunch. From a kitchen inside a Liquor Store.

I hope you'll have a good week!

Alaskan Seafood Connection 3355 Adams Ave San Diego 92116 (619)281-3089

Closed Monday Open Tues-Fri 11:30-3:30 and 5-10 Sat 12-10:30, Sun 12-8This is the view from the table, in case you don't want to look for addresses or cross streets.

Meet “The Press” in Yuma

October 1, 2015 ed fromyuma Caffeine Fix, Sandwiches, What Ed Eats -You too can be like Ed!, Yuma

mmm-yoso is primarily a food blog. Kirk posts the most here, and Cathy also posts often. But today Ed (from Yuma) posts about a new eatery (in Yuma).

The late summer and early fall are good times to launch new restaurants here in river city; it gives them some time to practice their craft before the influx of winter visitors and ag workers. One interesting new venue is The Press, featuring soup, salad, and pressed sandwiches.

Located on W 24th St. between Vista Moving and Mayflower Moving – the restaurant is kind of hard to find. The signage is at the eastern edge of the parking lot, so the cars in this photo are not on the property:

and the building itself is totally nondescript:

Inside, however, it’s unique. A lot of comfortable chairs and dark wood tables:

Empty coffee sacks (as well as acoustic ceiling tile) keep the noise level reasonable and make this a nice place for conversation:

There's usually some pleasant music (reggae or Beatles or such like) lightly playing in the background. They provide free Wi-Fi and two comfortable chairs and a couch for people who want to hang out, drink coffee, do homework or even grade papers:

Along with bottled water and some sodas, three kinds of coffee and real iced tea are available:

True to the name of the restaurant, one other beverage choice, the sweet and cacao flavored Mayan tea arrives at your table in a press:

Standard procedure is to grab the menu and look at the daily soup or fruit choice – and any specials on the blackboard behind the cash register. That's where you place your order:

The menu is both simple and clear:

You can choose from a number of different salads or pressed sandwiches for $7.95. The sandwiches come with your choice of chips, pasta salad, or fruit. On my first visit I had the Yuman sandwich with fruit:

On that day the fruit was a sliced half of a ripe pear, which was a real joy.

The sandwich itself was pretty good. A few slices of deli turkey, bacon, and avocado covered with a lot of goopy avocado dressing:

The herbed focaccia bread had a lot of flavor, but the texture of the bread itself was not outstanding. More like supermarket focaccia than Italian bakery focaccia.

For that reason, I like to pair half a sandwich with either soup or salad ($7.95). Here's a Telegraph sandwich with an excellent lemon chicken soup with orzo:

The sandwich had some sliced chicken, tasty roasted red peppers, cheese and guacamole:

Half an egg salad sandwich (the Bantam) with clam chowder:

This was a very tasty combination. The herbed egg salad has a nice rosemary flavor and the clam chowder was different from most chowders. I could detect no salt pork/bacon taste, nor any cream. There were abundant tender clams, but the spuds dominated, adding chunkiness and thickness and a true potato taste.

If you want half a sandwich with a salad, you can choose any of the sandwiches and any of the salads. I loved both the Cobb salad and the Italian sandwich on this plate:

The Cobb came with a blue cheese vinaigrette – here's what it looked like before I dug into it:

The sandwich was a good rendition of an old favorite – nicely flavored pepperoni and salami, a small slice of provolone cheese, a couple of tomato slices, and red onions and banana peppers. It also came with Italian dressing. The meats and spices worked together and made the whole sandwich very flavorful:

Also for $7.95, you can combine a cup of soup with half-size portion of any of the salads on the menu. I thoroughly enjoyed the garden salad balanced with cream of asparagus soup:

The soup was creamy and very savory, with long thin pieces of asparagus spear adding texture. The garden salad was also excellent. The mix of romaine and baby lettuces provided an excellent background to the chopped tomatoes, zucchini slices, shredded carrot, green pepper pieces, and rings of red onion. The Italian vinaigrette served on the side had just the right note of red wine vinegar to highlight the flavors of the greens and veggies.

Here is the krab bisque with a Blue Holler salad:

It's hard not to like apple chunks, blue cheese crumbles, Craisins, and toasted slivered almonds on a mix of greens accompanied by balsamic vinaigrette.

The bisque was mild, rich, and sweet flavored. It was also full of shreds of surimi:

While The Press may not be everybody's cup of coffee – I enjoy it a lot. My only gripe would be that it is sometimes a hassle for us older folks to have to get up to grab napkins or a pepper shaker, particularly when the place is busy. On the other hand this is one of those great little restaurants where the owners are personally involved with the operation, and their attention to detail shows up again and again in the food and ambience.

Sunday Sandwiches: Elijah’s Restaurant & Delicatessen

September 27, 2015 mmm-yoso Diner, Sandwiches

A few months back, Elijah's opened up in the spot that used to house Players Sports Bar. If you think the name sounds familiar, you'd be right. This is the Elijah's that used to be located in La Jolla Village. I've been complaining about the lack of a decent diner/deli in the Kearny Mesa/Clairemont area.

The space really doesn't look like a deli…but what's a deli really supposed to look like? It is wide open and the tables are well spaced. There's a bar area as well.

The staff is here has been really friendly and efficient on our visits. Very likeable folks.

On my first visit I brought the Missus along….I don't think I mentioned it before, but the Missus loves Chopped Liver….perhaps why She loves me? So, I wanted Her to try the chopped liver.

She told me this was bit drier and much more "liver-y" than other versions….in other words, She loved it. On subsequent visits, I've bought a pound or so of the chopped liver when I visit.

I had the Beef Tongue Sandwich ($10.95).

Simply served on rye, this looked quite good. You'll notice what my friend, who worked in a couple of deli's on the East Coast calls the "deli stack"……the meats are piled high in the middle and when cut makes it look quite hefty. There is a decent amount of beefy, but not too salty, tongue. It had been heated on the flattop and was fairly tender. With some deli mustard it was a nice sandwich. I got fries with my sandwich; I believe an extra $2.25. It was a pretty large portion, salty, with a mild spice…very crisp thin cut.

It was a nice meal, nothing fancy, but we really enjoyed the folks working here. A few weeks later I dropped by for lunch……it's quite close to work and is a nice standby.

The time I got the Hot Pastrami ($9.95).

Nicely shaved pastrami….not great quality, a bit too fatty, greasy, and chewy, but griddled nicely so it seemed a bit bacon like. The rye bread was nice and of course the deli mustard helped to cut the grease. I think the portion size was a bit on the small side.

Not a big fan of the coleslaw which was bland.

Last week, I just needed to get out of the office between meetings and Elijah's was close by.

This time I had "Turkey off the Bird" ($10.25).

Yes, this was real deal turkey; but just breast, and was very dry and bland. The mayo provided on the side (I like this add what you want/need) provided some help as did the lettuce. But the tomatoes weren't ripe enough and lacked flavor.

Looking in total; perhaps Elijah's doesn't quite fulfill all of my desires when it comes to a deli/diner. Still, it's not bad and fills a niche for me. And the folks here have always been quite nice and friendly.

Elijah’s Restaurant & Delicatessen
7061 Clairemont Mesa Blvd
San Diego, CA 92111

Sunday Sandwiches: Revisits to Pacific Time and Monkey Paw

September 6, 2015 mmm-yoso Cheesesteaks, Gastropub, Sandwiches

**** Both Pacific Time and Monkey Paw have closed

A couple of revisits for a nice leisurely long weekend.

Pacific Time:

I took the Missus and did a "drive-by" of Pacific Time when we were on our way to TJ's in MV. And was pleased to see that they had expanded their hours. So we decided to drop in.

It looks like the shelves are starting to be filled, there's a menu of cheese and charcuterie plates to go along with selections from the beer and wine bar.

They also now have a fairly decent selection of beer as well.

I enjoy chatting with the Cheese Guy here…he's so friendly, approachable, and quick with the samples. On this day we bought a couple, with Andante Dairy's Tomme Dolce being the crown jewel. It is a heck of a nice aged goat cheese.

As for the breads….well, it's that "Bread and Cie" thing….much too chewy and hard, but I do love the breads toasted.

I've also been dropping by for a sandwich now and then. My favorite previous visits is still the Spicy Italian ($9). Like I said, the bread that PT produces does real well toasted, when it gets crunchy and crusty.

Again, I loved the proportion, and that spicy capicola really drives the sandwich.

A few days later I ordered the Veggie Delight ($7). And while I ordered it on a baguette, I had vapor lock and forgot to tell them to add garlic aioli and press the sandwich.

While I like the combination; I still think it lacks zip and having the baguette untoasted made it a bit too chewy for me. It was basically a tug of war with each bite. I'll remember how I want this next time.

Really nice folks; it's good to see their business improving.

Pacific Time
5277 Linda Vista Rd
San Diego, CA 92110

Monkey Paw:

To regurgitate a passage from a post back in 2005:

" Almost a decade (now two decades) ago I had a conference in Philly, so of course I had to try a cheesesteak. A friend of mine took me to two famous stands, Pat's and Geno's both with a huge line and you had to kinda know "the rules", that is, how to order your steak, or you really got a hard time. Well I had this Cheese Whiz thing twice, nice, hot, and gooey, with the faintest hint of beef. And I thought, "what's the big deal"? But a funny thing happened; about two days later, I'm still in Philly, and for some strange reason I'm craving a cheesesteak. Now I've only had this once in my entire life, why the heck am I craving it? I ended up getting a cheesesteak in downtown Philly; wasn't much good, and it pretty much killed that craving. Until a day later, when I had a cheesesteak in Reading Terminal Market, this time with provolone, and I found my "cheesesteak". I'm convinced that there's somethin' in the cheesesteak; some insidious ingredient that after a short gestation causes an extreme craving for another cheese steak sandwich."

So…it was time for another cheesesteak and since it was a nice and rather balmy afternoon, a good craft brew sounded good as well. So I headed back to Monkey Paw. And got the Blairsteak, I'm just not a whiz kind of guy, plus you gotta remember, Pat's who claims to have invented the cheesesteaks did so in 1933…..taking the Whiz wasn't done after 1953, when it was invented.

First thing I noticed was…well, the price…was it always $13.75? Oh well, I wanted, nay needed, my fix.

Second thing, those really lousy waffle-cut fries were gone. Replaced by crisp, thin cut fries, perhaps bit too salty, but really nice with a dash of malt vinegar….and the good thing? They kept crisp the whole time.

As for the sandwich…well, the roll was perfect, I love that little gritty finish of the Amoroso. The flavors were all in line, from the mildly milky cheese to the beef, to the pyrazinic flavor of the green bell peppers. The cheese was gooey, though the beef was a bit drier than I usually like.

Still, it was just what I needed and now I can go another 8-9 months without one. Hmmm, this should have been one of those "What's My Craving" posts…..

Monkey Paw
805 16th St
San Diego, CA 92101